BECKENHAM: Youth accused of Ben Hitchcock murder 'gave girl knife' (From News Shopper)

BECKENHAM: Youth accused of Ben Hitchcock murder 'gave girl knife'

5:23pm Thursday 28th May 2009

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A YOUTH accused of murdering 16-year-old Ben Hitchcock asked a girl to hide a knife from police, a court heard today.

Abbey Harris, aged 17, told the Old Bailey that Royston Thomas handed her a sock containing a knife and a gas cannister when police raided a party they were at.

The party was in Copers Cope Road, Beckenham, on June 23, 2007. Trouble broke out after Ben and some friends tried to gatecrash it.

Speaking from behind a screen, Ms Harris said: “Obviously police were stopping and searching people because loads of boys were there.

“As a girl it got given to me.”

She told the court that she gave the sock with the knife in back to Thomas around 10 minutes later.

Shortly after the party was broken up, armed fighting started between Ben's Penge Boys gang and Lewisham gang members in Southend Road.

Ben was eventually stabbed in the back and died from his injuries in hospital.

Ms Harris said things had started to “get out of hand” before her and some friends left the scene by bus.

She said Ben was “egging on” the fighting and saying: “I can't have this. I can't have them in my area.”

In her police statement Ms Harris said that during the fighting Thomas was punching Ben.

Thomas, aged 19, of Hazel Grove, Sydenham, denies murder.

Mitchell Elliott, aged 19, of Howerd Way, Woolwich, Andre Lawrence-Bennett, aged 18, of Brownhill Road, Catford, and Olatunji Olulu, aged 18, of Firhill Road, Catford, also deny murder.

The trial continues.

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