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- Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai is accused of murdering an aspiring Royal Marine
- The Afghan national, 21, allegedly stabbed Thomas Roberts to death last March
- CCTV footage purports to show moment he fled to a park after fatal stabbing
This is the moment a balaclava-clad asylum seeker attempts to flee the scene after allegedly stabbing an aspiring Royal Marine to death during an argument over an electric scooter, a court was told.
Afghan national Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, 21, twice plunged a ’10cm blade’ into Thomas Roberts’ chest outside a Subway sandwich shop in Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, in the early hours of March 12 last year.
Abdulrahimzai had got into an argument with Mr Roberts’ friend James Medway, 24, over an e-scooter the pair of friends had been using as they made their way home from a ‘very chilled’ night out, Salisbury Crown Court heard.
Jurors were told that, moments after intervening in the disagreement, Mr Roberts, 21, sustained two stab wounds to his chest from an ‘aggressive’ Abdulrahimzai – with one slicing through his heart.
Jurors were told that, moments after intervening in the disagreement, Mr Roberts, 21, sustained two stab wounds to his chest from an ‘aggressive’ Abdulrahimzai – with one slicing through his heart.
Abdulrahimzai, who was born in Afghanistan, arrived in the UK in December 2019 and initially told the authorities he was 16 when he was arrested, but the court has since determined that he is now 21.
He admits manslaughter but denies murdering Mr Roberts. He is expected to argue that he suffered from a ‘loss of control’.
CCTV footage released to the jury today shows the moment Abdulrahimzai flees on foot immediately after the stabbing while being chased by Mr Medway.
Abdulrahimzai can be seen running ‘very fast’ with his hood up as he sprints to a nearby park.
But Mr Medway, 24, who had to run barefoot after his trainers came off, lost sight of Abdulrahimzai.
Jurors today also heard 999 calls made moments after the alleged murder around 4.40am on March 12.
One woman, who was taking cash out of an ATM when she saw Abdulrahimzai, told 999 operators ‘he was running very fast’.
Others urged emergency call handlers to send an ambulance immediately as Mr Roberts was losing a lot of blood and ‘is going to die’.
The court also heard that before the stabbing, Abdulrahimzai – wearing a balaclava – headbutted another man.
Reveller Alfie Goulty told Salisbury Crown Court he had been denied entry from a club in Bournemouth and got chatting to Abdulrahimzai, who he did not know.
Mr Goulty, 18, was having a verbal disagreement with another reveller when Abdulrahimzai joined in on the conversation and became ‘aggressive’ towards the other male.
He said: ‘The person that joined was wearing a coat and balaclava, which was not fully on.
‘He was just repeating my words, he was telling him to go away… He used his head on him, he used it to nudge him away, it was like a headbutt.
A police cordon outside Subway on Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth
‘It was fairly aggressive.’
Mr Goulty said he carried on speaking to Abdulrahimzai after the verbal disagreement with the other man ended, and that Abdulrahimzai told him he was 16.
Later, he came out of Subway and saw Mr Roberts ‘bleeding a lot’ and people shouting for an ambulance.
Dorset Police officer Steve Bowes, one of the first on the scene, said he performed CPR on Mr Roberts, adding: ‘His condition was deteriorating, it was clear that he was not breathing.’
At yesterday’s proceedings, Mr Medway told jurors he ‘sh** himself’ when Abdulrahimzai pulled a 10cm blade and twice plunged it into his friend’s chest.
Mr Roberts was enjoying a night out with Mr Medway, 24, when they attempted to use the e-scooter to get home and ‘aggressive’ Abdulrahimzai, 21, confronted them.
A court has heard Mr Roberts, a nightclub DJ who hoped to become a Marine, sustained serious internal injuries including a wound to his heart from the stabbing.
Distressing CCTV footage of the incident outside a Subway sandwich shop shows Mr Roberts managing to stay on his feet but collapsing seconds later.
Following the stabbing, Mr Roberts, from Bournemouth, was rushed to hospital having ‘bled profusely’ and died in the operating theatre.
Giving evidence at Salisbury Crown Court, Mr Medway told of the moment he saw his ‘peacemaker’ friend get stabbed.
Mr Medway said: ‘I had known him for two and a half years, over the years we got to know each other well.
‘We had many things in common, like riding, then I started coming to his DJ events and he took an interest in the gym.
A police cordon around Horseshoe Common in Bournemouth
‘It was a nice, chilled evening… We were having a good time, enjoying a few drinks.
‘We decided to get some food, grab a taxi, and go home. We were relaxed, ready for food and bed.
‘We decided to walk towards the taxi rank and at Subway there was a scooter that was unlocked and I told him “don’t worry mate, we can take this, we don’t need a taxi”.’
He said that it was at this point that he was confronted.
He continued: ‘I held the grips and stood either side of the scooter and that’s when he [Abdulrahimzai] approached. I had never seen him before.
‘He was speaking broken English and was not easy to understand.
‘He came from in front of me and said ‘get off this scooter, this is my scooter’ and he was acting aggressively. He was threatening.
‘Tom reached across his chest and said “there’s not a problem here”. He was soothing, trying to calm the situation, he was trying to diffuse the situation.
‘The man switched his focus to Tom and got in his face. He squared up to Tom. I don’t know what was said as it was broken English.
‘Tom felt threatened. He was on the back foot. He [Mr Roberts] open palm slapped him [Abdulrahimzai] on his face which I felt was a warning, it was a ‘stay away’ warning.
‘The man reached for the knife and just lunged for Tom.
‘It was big and I’m pretty sure it was gold and black. He made like a long hook motion.
‘I s**t myself to start with, I was scared I’m not sure if I had gone to punch him with my left hand. The man then ran.
‘I punched Tom on the shoulder and said ‘are you good?’ as I didn’t realise he had been hit and then chased after the man.’
Mr Medway said he pursued Abdulrahimzai barefoot as his shoes came off, but lost him in a nearby park.
He added that he and Mr Roberts had been ‘just looking for a way home’.
Opening the case, prosecutor Nic Lobbenberg KC told jurors it was a ‘fatal encounter all about a scooter which has cost this boy his life’.
He added: ‘Thomas was the peacemaker, he came between the two men. For his troubles, he received two stab wounds.’
Abdulrahimzai, from Poole, Dorset, denies murder. The two-week trial continues.
