THE man accused of murdering teenager Dele Little told the court how he was not aware that he had stabbed anybody.

Aaron Roche told jurors that he did not hear anyone shouting that Dele had been stabbed and did not notice blood on his butterfly knife that he had dropped on the ground.

Roche, 21, was giving evidence at Winchester Crown Court about the circumstances that led to 15-year-old Dele dying from a stab wound to the heart.

Dressed in a shirt, tie and dark suit, Roche told jurors how he had ran to an area known as the "bullring" at the West Totton Centre after hearing in a phone call that his girlfriend Kayleigh Shinn had been attacked by a boy.

The court was told how he had gone to look for the person responsible, which later turned out to be Dele Little, but had turned away after being warned it was in his best interests to go home.

Moments later the couple heard a shout and as they turned round Roche saw Dele coming towards him followed by a small group of boys.

Roche said: "He was standing with his hands by his sides with clenched fists, basically saying come on then'.

"I didn't know what to do. I was panicking and I didn't want to get into a fight at all."

Roche described how Dele then punched him several times and headbutted him. He was also kneed in the mouth and kicked and stamped on as he lay on the floor during the attack by Dele and, he believed, a number of other people.

Jurors were told he ended up with a split eye, a split lip and severe bruising about his face and body. They were shown pictures of the injuries taken by police and Roche's solicitor in the hours after the incident that included his front teeth which the court heard were knocked back "towards my tonsils" after being kneed in the mouth by Dele.

Roche said he did not punch anyone during the fight in which he had his hoody pulled over his head and he was left struggling to see Roche, formerly of Ringwood Road, Lyndhurst, denies murder.

Proceeding.