THREE of the people accused of murdering teenager Lewis Singleton have colluded together to heap the blame on a fourth defendant, a court heard.

Rikki Johnson's defence barrister told the Winchester Crown Court jury his client, who admits stabbing 18-year-old Lewis, had acted to defend his friend.

But Oba Nsugbe said inconsistencies in the stories of the other three defendants showed they had all tried to lessen their roles in the incident on March 31 last year by pushing all the blame on to Johnson.

"He is, in their eyes, the proverbial fall guy. The trussed-up sacrificial lamb," said Mr Nsugbe.

"They have agreed to save their own skins and heap as much blame as they can on Rikki Johnson.

"What they have tried to do is put as much clear water between themselves and Rikki Johnson and deny all knowledge of the knife.

"Rikki Johnson said the fact the knife had been brought by (Sercan) Calik was something everyone knew.

"The knife is Calik's pure and simple. He brought it to the scene and made it available to Johnson, knowing there was a chance it would be used."

Mr Nsugbe said Calik would not have taken the knife from Johnson to examine it after the incident, smearing the bloodstain with his thumb if it wasn't his.

He pointed to Calik changing his story in evidence about performing the complicated task of closing the flick knife which under cross examination he later said he had only managed with instructions from Johnson.

"That's the most obvious example of someone making their story up as they go along," said Mr Nsugbe.

Johnson, 19, of Honeysuckle Road, Bassett, Calik, of Burgess Road, Southampton and two youths aged 16 and 17 who cannot be named for legal reasons all deny murder and a second charge of violent disorder.

Proceeding.