COLTON Bryan bravely chased his attacker out of his Redditch flat moments after being fatally stabbed, a jury heard this week.
This was according to defendant Adam Carpenter, aged 21, while being cross-examined at the Worcester Crown Court murder trial.
Carpenter, who denies murder and conspiracy to rob, was at the Guinness Close flat on July 15 last year when the 22-year-old was attacked and later died from his injuries.
But he alleges it was his acquaintance, Mohammed Hammad Hussain of Oakfield Avenue, Birmingham, who carried out the killing.
Carpenter, of Wharrington Hill, Redditch admitted he lied in all of his police statements when he told officers he didn’t know who committed the crime.
Hammad, who is still wanted by police after fleeing the country, allegedly told Carpenter he would ‘rob his mum’ if he didn’t help ‘set up a robbery’ at Mr Bryan’s flat.
Carpenter said the pair, who sometimes smoked weed together, were eating in Birmingham when Hammad suggested robbing Mr Bryan as he had ‘lots of drugs and money’.
A visibly weary Carpenter told the jury on Monday: “I kinda froze in the moment, I’d never been threatened like that before.
“I didn’t want to do it. Colton was my friend, but Hammad threatened me so I felt I had no other choice.
“I was scared and didn’t want my family to get hurt.
“Hammad said all I need to do is leave Colton’s door open for him to grab the stuff. He told me to ring Colton, see what he was doing, and ask if I could go to his.
“I asked Colton if he had draw (weed) and if I could go to his and chill. I wasn’t happy about it but Hammad insisted.”
After Mr Bryan agreed to see Carpenter later that night, Carpenter drove Hammad to Redditch in his white Skoda.
The car was seen several times on CCTV, including at the Evesham Road Co-op near to Mr Bryan’s address.
Joining them was Faisal Fiaz, 21, of Millsbro Road, Redditch who is also on trial facing the same charge.
At around 9pm, Carpenter said he went to Mr Bryan’s flat and left the doors unlocked after entering.
He remained in contact with Fiaz and Hammad by text, telling them the doors were unlocked but that Mr Bryan’s girlfriend, Chelsea, and friend Dan were also at the flat.
“I was nervous and a bit red-faced because of what was going to happen,” said Carpenter.
“I heard him (Hammad) come through the door. He came into the living room wearing a balaclava and had a knife by his side.
“My heart dropped, he hadn’t told me he had a knife; I was thinking ‘what the f*** is going on?’.
“Dan ran out and Colton grabbed a baseball bat.
“Hammad and him start walking towards each other, there was a bit of scuffling, but I didn’t see much as I was almost out of the room…it all happened so quickly.
“I s*** myself, basically, and ran back to the car.
“I was in shock. I asked Fiaz if he knew about the knife but he said he didn’t.
“About 30 seconds later Hammad jumps in the car and I see blood over his white T-shirt.”
Carpenter said he drove the trio to a secluded spot between Redditch and Birmingham.
Here he began cleaning his car of blood stains and gave Hammad spare clothes from his boot.
“Hammad told me I needed to burn the car, but I was still panicking.
“At this stage I didn’t know (Colton) had died, I just knew Hammad had stabbed him.
“He told me Colton had hit him with the bat and Chelsea over the head with a frying pan.
“He said Colton started chasing him after he stabbed him. And he slammed the door on Colton as he was running out.”
Carpenter told the jury he helped burn Hammad’s blood-stained clothes later that night.
The next day, he drove to Weston-super-Mare after telling his mum he needed to ‘clear his head’.
He was arrested in the town on July 18 after setting fire to his car and phone.
Carpenter said Hammad’s brother, Mohammed Saddam Hussain, also on trial, convinced him over the phone to ‘burn the evidence’.
Saddam is also accused of helping his brother flee the country.
The trial continues.
