TWO friends of Will Blencowe have denied helping him escape justice after he fatally stabbed city teenager Connor Tremble.

Yesterday Bradley Jones and Grant Clemens, who both deny perverting the course of justice, gave evidence at Oxford Crown Court.

The prosecution alleges they aided Blencowe on February 13 this year after he attacked Connor, 17, in his flat in Fairacres Road, Oxford.

The 21-year-old admits inflicting 15 stab wounds which caused the teenager’s death two days later at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

But he denies murder, claiming he was acting in self- defence and was suffering from a mental condition.

Prosecutors say Blencowe murdered Connor because he was jealous of the teenager’s relationship with ex-girlfriend Aimee Harrison.

Afterwards he met up with Jones and travelled to Clemens’s house in Stockwells, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, at about 9pm. From there Blencowe got a lift to Stratford-upon-Avon with two other friends, where he was arrested the following day on suspicion of attempted murder.

Yesterday Jones told jurors he had no knowledge of what his friend had done and thought his behaviour was because of an unsuccessful suicide attempt.

He said Blencowe “was really quiet, when he tried to speak his words didn’t come out properly”.

Other witnesses have said they saw Jones with a bag on the evening of February 13 and the prosecution says he gave his friend fresh clothes.

Defence barrister Graham Logan asked: “Did you provide Will Blencowe with clothes?”

Jones replied: “No I didn’t.”

Mr Logan said: “Did you have any idea that he had been involved in any criminal activity?”

Jones said: “No.”

But prosecutor Richard Barton suggested he gave Blencowe clothes, arranged his transport, looked after his mobile phone and probably got rid of the knife he stabbed Connor with. Jones replied: “I did not help Will Blencowe do anything like that.”

Clemens admitted giving Blencowe a jacket and trainers but said he had no idea what he had done. Asked when he found out, the 24-year-old said it was not until the afternoon of February 14, when it was “all over Facebook”.

He said: “It was either Bradley or Will, they asked if I had a spare pair of trainers.

“They said Will had stepped in a puddle and got wet feet, I said I had a spare pair.”

He said he gave Blencowe, of Oxford Road, Banbury, a jacket because he was shivering.

Asked how he felt when he found out what happened to Connor, he said: “I was shocked really, I was scared.

“I thought I might get dragged into it because I had him in my house and gave him a jacket and trainers.”

The trial continues.

 

 

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