CCTV footage of fatal stabbing is shown to jury

Closed-circuit television footage of a man being stabbed to death in a street fight was shown to the jury in a murder trial yesterday.

The film showed three men attacking Scott Davis, aged 25. Two men accused of Mr Davis's murder, Craig Stevenson and John Hamilton, remained impassive in the dock at Kingston Crown Court in Surrey as the film was shown.

The pair, both aged 18, deny murdering Mr Davis, who was stabbed nine times in Reading town centre, Berkshire on 14 July last year. They also deny violent disorder. A third man, Kevin Alvarado from Caversham, near Reading, admitted murder at a court appearance in October last year.

The court heard yesterday that the attack on Mr Davis was captured on CCTV cameras operated by security staff at the Oracle shopping centre.

During nearly 10 minutes of footage, three men were seen to surround Mr Davis. Two attackers – alleged to be Mr Stevenson and Mr Hamilton – hurled punches as shaven-headed Alvarado thrust a butterfly knife into the victim's chest and upper body.

Seconds later, the prosecution alleges, Hamilton punched to the ground Mr Davis's friend, Ian Tegg, who had arrived to help. The cameras then showed a group running from the scene before slowing down and walking through the town centre, patting one another on the back and smoking. Alvarado was seen folding the knife and slipping it into his jeans.

Peter Kyte QC, for the prosecution, told the jury that the group was arrested seconds later. He said Mr Davis had gone out to celebrate his birthday with his friend Mark Tegg, Ian's brother, earlier that day.

A fight had broken out in the Purple Turtle nightclub between a group of Mr Davis's friends and the defendants. Both parties were ejected, but came into contact again outside the club.

After the attack, Mr Davis was taken in a taxi to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, where he was certified dead.

Mr Kyte said: "Three young men were jointly involved in this attack on their unarmed victim. One of them was armed with a butterfly knife. He used that on his victim with fatal affect. That man is Kevin Alvarado and he has already pleaded guilty to murder. These two are his companions and partners in crime."

The case continues.