A PARTY-GOER has told a court how his girlfriend's brother fell bleeding into his arms during in a street fight.

Michael Stewart, whose partner Catherine was Sean Whyte's sister, told Preston Crown Court he had not seen the face of the man who stabbed 17-year-old Sean Whyte, last September.

He described the fighting as "100mph all around."

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

Mr Stewart told the jury a party had been held at the Whyte household in North Street, to mark his 18th birthday the previous day.

He said he had been drunk when he left the party with a friend, Hugh O'Neill, at about 10pm. He said he was approached by Wasim Mumtaz, asking for £8 in payment for goods he had bought from the Mumtaz family shop in Glen Street.

Mr Stewart said: "On the Friday when I got the tick it was agreed to pay on Tuesday, he must have been a bit short and asked me for the £8 and I told him I would pay him Tuesday.

"He told me to go back to 9 North Street and get the money but I couldn't get hold of it, I told him I would give it to him on Tuesday and he started getting all funny, ratty.

"He bust my nose and mouth, cracked me in the face with his hand. I punched him back. Hugh was getting punched and kicked and I ran back to 9 North Street.

"Everybody came out wondering what was happening, they were trying to get it sorted out but it didn't happen like that."

Mr Stewart went on to tell how he had seen a man coming towards him with a blade. He said he had not seen the man's face. He told the court Sean had run into the man's path and been stabbed.

He said: "I was about five feet away, I couldn't warn anybody because it was happening so fast. Sean fell in my arms.""

When asked by defence lawyers why he had not seen the man's face, Mr Stewart replied that he had been concentrating on the blade.

He said: "If I hadn't concentrated on the blade it probably would have been inside me, if I had looked at his face I probably wouldn't be sitting here."

(Proceeding)