27 Aug 2015

Fatal stabbing accused 'said he caked it'

4:18 pm on 27 August 2015

A friend of the boy accused of fatally stabbing Luke Tipene in a Grey Lynn street fight says his friend told him he'd "caked it" - meaning he'd made a mistake - and appeared to be in shock shortly after the incident.

Luke Tipene

Luke Tipene Photo: FACEBOOK

Vincent Angene Skeen, 17, has denied murdering Luke Tipene, who played for the Kiwis U16 rugby league side.

Dominic Bellfield told the High Court in Auckland he drove Skeen to a party on Halloween night last year on Great North Road.

Mr Bellfield said he saw a fight on the street and knew that Skeen was in the area, but could not see who was involved.

He said he went back to his car when everyone started running.

Mr Bellfield said he offered Skeen's girlfriend a lift home before Skeen jumped into the car.

He said Skeen told him he had "caked it" - a slang term for messing up .

Earlier, a relation of Mr Tipene said he saw the boy punch another to the ground, shortly before he was fatally stabbed in the neck.

The boy giving evidence at the High Court in Auckland cannot be named as he is under 18.

He said he was with Mr Tipene when they got a call from a friend who was in trouble.

The boy said when they arrived they saw a group of young people on the street watching two boys fight.

He said Skeen interfered in the one-on-one fight and Mr Tipene punched him to the ground.

He said Skeen appeared to be in la-la land shortly before fatally stabbing Mr Tipene in the neck with a broken beer bottle.

The boy said at that point he chased another boy down the road before returning to find Mr Tipene with a serious wound to his neck.

Under cross-examination from Mr Skeen's lawyer Lorraine Smith, the boy confirmed that Mr Skeen was smaller than his relation.

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