Mum's plea with 13-year-old son on trial for murder

Defendant B, now 14, is on trial at the Old Bailey along with defendant A, 16, and Odel Munroe, 20, for the murder of student Martin Thomas, 39.

Stabbed to death: Martin Thomas, 39, from Roehampton 

Defendant B is one of the youngest in British history to be charged with murder.

Yesterday afternoon the jury were told defendant B gave a detailed prepared statement to police following his arrest in May last year.

He said both he and defendant A had gone to school together and they met up at 6.30pm, on the day of Mr Thomas’s death, at Waitrose in Putney. Odel Munroe, who he had not met before, turned up five minutes later.

A crime scene tent outside Mr Martin's house in Roehampton 

His statement said they walked to Mr Thomas’s house and defendant A went in first, while he and Mr Munroe waited opposite.

He alleged Mr Munroe implied they were going to take valuables from the house.

When defendant B said “no”, Mr Munroe allegedly said “You don’t know me I’m crazy” and indicated he had a knife underneath his body warmer.

Defendant B said he followed Mr Munroe because he was frightened and when defendant A opened the door, with a knife in his hand, there was a white man on the floor covered in blood.

Defendant B told police he turned to run out of the house but Mr Munroe was behind him holding a knife towards him.

He said he was instructed to go upstairs and look for valuables by Mr Munroe and did so because he did not want to get stabbed.

He said the other two defendants followed him up the stairs, still carrying knives.

Defendant B told police they took a laptop and ran out of the house.

When he and Mr Munroe parted company at Waitrose, defendant B alleges Mr Munroe said: “Remember snitches get stitches.”

The day after defendant B was charged with murder, his mother visited him at Sutton police station where a detective constable noticed her becoming agitated and say: “If you are holding anything back you need to tell the police now”.

Defendant B then told police the day after Mr Thomas’s death, on April 23, he was told to meet Mr Munroe to give him the clothing he had been wearing and a bag.

Defendant A, aged 16, 6ft 2in, from Putney 

Defendant A was arrested at his home in Putney, two days after the murder on April 24, when he told police “I’ll explain what happened at the police station”.

On his way to the police station he said: “I know what we did but we didn’t know anyone had died.” He pointed out a cut to his finger.

A deerstalking hat was found in the hallway of Mr Thomas’s house which had a spot of Mr Thomas’s blood on it and biological evidence on it indicating it had been worn by defendant A.

Blood from defendant A was also found at the scene, which the Crown said came from a cut to his right index finger.

Police searched defendant A’s home, in Putney, and found a mobile phone in a wheelie bin outside, two plastic sacks containing clothing with Mr Thomas’ blood on it and a knife.

The knife had Martin Thomas’s blood and defendant A’s blood on it.

Prosecutor Jonathan Lees QC told the jury: “The prosecution say that this evidence plainly shows that defendant A intended to dispose of the clothes, the knife and the phone that connected him to the killing of Mr Thomas.”

Under police interview defendant A gave a short statement in which he said it was just him and Mr Thomas inside the house and that Mr Thomas attacked him and blocked his exit. He said he was in fear and acted in self-defence.

Odel Munroe, aged 20, 5ft 5in, from Sudbury House, Wandsworth High Street 

Odel Munroe was arrested at his Wandsworth High Street Home in May. He chose not to answer questions in interview and was subsequently charged with murder.

All three deny charges of murder and robbery. The trial continues.

A large cordon was set up around the crime scene in Roehampton 

Mr Thomas lived at 111 Huntingfield Road, Roehampton 

Mr Thomas's housemate Romeo Effs was unable to return for four weeks while police carried out their investigation