Youth pleads not guilty to murdering Watford’s Aqeel Khan

A 16 year old youth who was being chased by a group of young men along a Watford street stabbed to death an 18 year old teenager, a court heard. Aqeel Khan died from a single stab wound outside a school, a jury was told. At first others with him thought he had just been punched by the youth, it was claimed at Luton crown court today (Tuesday) But Aqeel had been stabbed between his shoulder blades and the blade of the knife had penetrated his left lung and caused fatal damage to a major artery, it was claimed. The youth alleged to have stabbed Mr Khan went on trial pleading not guilty to his murder. The boy, who was 16 at the time and who is now 17 can’t be named for legal reasons. Prosecutor William Mousley QC told the court how the violence had erupted on the Holywell Housing Estate in West Watford in August last year. The jury were told that afternoon the boy had been involved in an altercation with a number of the youths outside a parade of shops in Tolpits Lane. Aqeel had arrived outside the shops as the violence was about to break out and the prosecutor said a witness believed he may have been struck by the bag. Moments later it’s alleged the 16 year old ran from the scene. Mr Mousley said it was the deceased who was at the head of the chasing group and was the one who got the closest to the fleeing boy. Mr Mousley said paramedics who arrived on the scene found his heart had stopped beating and he was rushed to Watford General Hospital. Mr Khan had been stabbed outside the entrance to Westfield Academy. The jury saw CCTV footage of Mr Khan lying in the road after he had been stabbed. It’s alleged after the stabbing the 16 year old ran off to his home a few minutes away. The jury were told it was there that he was arrested later that night.