Murder trial witness tells of fateful cab booking

"OH GO on, it's only a phone call".

Those were the words used to coax a 17-year-old girl into making the call that lead to a Huddersfield taxi driver's death, a court was told.

Yesterday the teenager – who can not be named for legal reasons – told jurors that she was encouraged by the gang accused of killing father-of-three Mohammad Parvaiz to book his mini-cab on the fateful night of July 22.

She was giving evidence for the prosecution yesterday in the trial of the six teenagers accused of murdering the 42-year-old Birkby taxi driver.

Mr Parvaiz died after being attacked at Field Head in Golcar where he was called to to pick up a fare.

Christopher Murphy, 18, Graeme Slavin, 18, Michael Hand, 19, two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old all deny the charge.

The girl told Leeds Crown Court how she and a group of five friends met the defendants at the Cliff Ash fish and chip shop at around 8.30pm.

They went to swings in the park near Field Head. She said the defendants were sharing beer and smoking cannabis.

She said: "I heard the boys talking about a scooter, then I heard them talking about someone breaking a scooter. I thought that can't be true because I saw him drive past on his scooter a few days before."

She said Murphy asked her to ring a taxi to Visage night club.

She said: "I asked, 'Why should I do it?' He said: 'Because we need you to ring a taxi, and taxis come quicker for girls', which I agreed with.

"All his friends were saying, 'Oh go on, it's only a phone call." She said it was Hand and the rest of the defendants telling her to make the phone call as they stood around in a 'horseshoe-like circle'.

Murphy then passed her his phone. She said: "He went into his menu and I thought he was looking for a taxi number. He pressed ring and he passed me the phone ringing.

She said Murphy had the number stored on his phone and he told her to ask for a mini-bus.

She said: "Chris had asked me to get a taxi for seven or eight, a mini bus, to Visage from Field Head.

The taxi controller asked for a booking name. She said: "I looked at Chris and he was looking at me as if to say, 'Don't give them my name', I said 'April'."

The witness said she asked for the driver to come to Field Head doctor's surgery and then ended the call, giving the phone back to Murphy.

The court heard that the boys then jogged in groups towards Field Head. The witness and her friends followed them, stopping on one of the paths where they could not see on to Field Head.

She said: "Murphy came running back up towards me and gave me the phone again. He said to ring the taxi back and ask where it was.

"I asked how long the taxi would be to Golcar, he said it would be there in two minutes.

"Chris ran over to the boys. I heard him shouting, 'It'll be two minutes, two minutes!'"

The 17-year-old said she was talking to her friend when the taxi arrived.

She said: "I heard this loud crash and bang, just like someone had dropped a boulder onto the floor, it was so loud.

"I heard some screaming and the boys were shouting. At this point I thought they'd stolen money off the taxi driver and I started running back up with everyone. When I got to the top of the path I looked back, the boys were running towards us.

"I heard a woman screaming and calling the police. We ran off from where we were stood.

"I heard Mikey (Hand) say: 'I've just bricked him in the face twice'. I was shocked."

She said the defendants ran off together, except for the 16-year-old who had disappeared, and she followed with her group. They all stopped by The Wheel Inn, gathering in the court yard

The teenager said: "They were all hyped up and they actually seemed excited. Graeme or one of the 17-year-olds said something about they had stomped on his head."

She said Murphy asked for a light to shine on his shoe and she gave him the lit screen on her mobile phone. She testified there was blood on his shoe and on one of the 17-year-old defendant's shoes.

She said: "Somebody said that the taxi driver would be in a coma, somebody else said, 'no, he'll be alright."

The case continues.