EYEWITNESSES have told a court how they saw the last minutes of teenager Sean Whyte's life after a fight in a Colne street.

David MacFarlane, Aaron Dwyer and Maureen Lawton all told a jury at Preston Crown Court they were at a house in North Street on the evening of September 29 last year when they heard a commotion and went outside.

Mr Dwyer told how he tried to break up a fight between one of the defendants, Wasim Mumtaz, and a white youth he later discovered was Sean Whyte, just moments before Sean was stabbed by another man.

Hasan Mumtaz, 18, of North Street, denies murder, wounding and violent disorder. Wasim Mumtaz, 21, also of North Street, denies violent disorder.

Mr MacFarlane, 24, said he had gone to visit Mr Dwyer at about 10pm on the evening of the fight.

He said: "Because of the commotion we went to see what was going on first hand.

"We saw people fighting in the street.

"There was a lad I know as Wasim who was fighting off a white lad who was attacking him.

"The white lad was seriously up for it. He was throwing punches and trying to kick him.

"Wasim fought him off and put him down but he got up again."

He then described how he had seen a woman grab Wasim and that Mr Dwyer, feeling the fight was becoming unfair, had gone to try to pull Sean away.

He added: "Aaron went to Sean and said 'It's not right, two on one', and Sean squared up to him. Aaron backed off.

"At that point another lad went straight past me and ran straight towards Sean. I saw something shining in his hand and at that point I knew it was a knife. It connected on the right side of his chest. I saw the arm withdraw and I saw a knife with some bloodstains on it. He jumped back to the pavement swaying his arms in the air shouting 'I've stabbed him, I've stabbed him'.

"Sean was still standing and had his hand on his chest. He walked towards me and said 'I have been stabbed'." Mr Dwyer, 28, said he had seen a white youth and an Asian youth fighting and a woman grabbing the Asian youth from behind.

He said: "I didn't think it was fair so I walked over to stop what was going on. I touched the white lad on the arm to say 'Calm down' and he turned to me so I backed away.

"As I turned away I saw a person run past me from North Street. He ran past me and I heard a thud.

"I looked around and he ran past the white lad shouting 'I've stabbed him'. He was backing off and waving his hands in the air.

"The white lad had his hands on his chest and he was looking down. He looked straight at me and said 'He's stabbed me' and went walking down.

"He looked like he was dead then."

(Proceeding)