A young friend of 12-year-old Ava White said she didn't want a fight with her alleged killer.
Ava died after she was stabbed by a 14-year-old boy in School Lane in Liverpool city centre. Boy A accepts responsibility for her fatal injury, but says he acted in self-defence.
The teen, from South Liverpool, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies murder and manslaughter. Today a trial at Liverpool Crown Court heard evidence from friends of Ava about the evening of November 25, 2021.
READ MORE: Ava White friend says schoolgirl 'went pale' after fatal stabbing
An 11-year-old friend of Ava's, who the ECHO will refer to as Boy H, was interviewed by police the next day. He told detectives he didn't see Ava being stabbed in School Lane at around 8.35pm, but afterwards saw her collapsed on the ground outside the nearby Primark store.
Boy H described the build up to the stabbing, during which he said Ava was "angry" that Boy A and three friends - Boys B, C and D - had been filming her on their phones. He said he heard Ava refer to Boy A by Boy A's name.
Under cross-examination by Boy A's barrister, Nick Johnson, QC, the witness confirmed he and members of Ava's group - but not Ava - had earlier gone to a shop on London Road. He agreed some of them bought vodka.
He said the group met Ava and others back in town, before they were asked to move on by a St John's Shopping Centre security guard, who threatened to call the police because some of them were damaging plants. Boy H said those doing that had been drinking vodka.
Boy H denied Ava was seen lying on the ground because she had been drinking and said she was just playing with her friends. He agreed Ava had been "angry" at the boys filming her.
Mr Johnson said: "Did she want to have a fight?" Boy H answered: "No, not that I know of."
He confirmed Ava tried to grab Boy C's phone and that two older boys - who knew some of Ava's group - got involved, with one of them arguing with Boy C.
Mr Johnson asked did this boy - who the ECHO has called Boy F - "threaten" one of the lads with Boy A "with a blade". Boy H said: "Not that I know of."
The QC said: "Did you hear anybody talking about blades to the four lads?" "No," Boy H replied. He said he didn't see either of the older boys with a knife.
Boy H accepted Ava continued arguing with the other group. He said: "When Ava argues she doesn't really listen to anyone."
The jury heard he told police he was trying to get Ava to stop "but she thought she was invincible". Mr Johnson said: "Did Ava want to fight?" Boy H said: "No."
Boy H said Ava was ahead of him when she was stabbed. Mr Johnson said: "Had you dropped back because she wanted a fight and you did not want a fight?" "No," Boy H answered, adding that he was walking with another girl.
Boy H agreed Ava had been saying: "Is that [Boy A's real name]?" Mr Johnson said: "Was Ava after him?"
"No," said Boy H. The defence barrister asked: "Did you see her running after him?" "No," Boy H replied.
The court also heard a police interview with another friend of Ava's, a girl aged 15, who the ECHO has called Girl B. She said Ava and another girl, Girl E, were messing about when a group of "laughing" lads started "videoing them".
Girl B said Ava told them to delete the video. She said two other boys came over and told the lads to delete it, but the lads were "pretending" they didn't have a video, until one of them - Boy C - was asked to open his phone and deleted a clip.
The witness said as both groups walked on, she thought it was Boy C who turned around and said: "Are you following us?" She said her group explained "no one is following you" and that they were just going the same way.
Girl B said: "They were all arguing with Ava." She said: "I was telling Ava to stop it because she is always arguing with people. I told her to stop it. She always does it."
Girl B said she told the four lads Ava was only 12 and to leave her alone. She said: "One of them pushed her and started laughing, so she pushed him back.
"That's when he stabbed her. I thought he choked her."
Girl B said Boy A ran away and she and a friend chased him, before they returned to Ava. She said one of her friends screamed that Ava was bleeding and she was on the ground with "blood everywhere".
Questioned further about the earlier argument over the video, she said Boy C had been "proper hesitant" to delete a clip on his phone. She said: "His hands were shaking when he went to delete it."
Girl B said there had been a conversation between Boy C and the two other boys about fighting and "blades". She said: "One of the lads said something about having a fight or something if they didn't delete it."
Girl B said she thought one of the other boys - who she said were "mates of mates" - said "no blades". She said Boy C replied: "None of us carry blades."
The witness said before the stabbing she told Ava to "leave it". She said Ava was telling them to "f*** off" and when Boy A pushed her in the chest, Ava was "angry" and tried to push him back.
Girl B described Boy A as "grinning" after he stabbed Ava. She told police: "I just seen the lad smiling and running and start laughing, so I just chased him."
A video of her cross-examination has not yet been played to the jury.
(Proceeding)
