A YOUNG Mirfield man was ‘hunted’ by two masked men and fatally stabbed hours after a local group were sentenced for robbery, a jury was told.
Josh Hirst, 20, died in hospital on the evening of August 3 after being stabbed yards from his home in Grove Lane, Mirfield.
Joe Church, 20, of Redlands Close, Mirfield, Aaron Smith, 18, of Savile Street, Emley, and Nadeem Rashid, 21 of Lapwing View, Horbury Bridge are accused of his murder and appeared at Leeds Crown Court to stand trial yesterday. All three deny murder.
After the attack two of the accused fled to a house in Waterloo, where they washed blood-stained clothes the court was told.
Prosecutor Neil Davey told the jury that Josh was driving his white Audi home on August 3 after attending an 18th birthday celebration with his girlfriend and family.
Mr Davey told the jury: “But there were to be no more birthday celebrations for Josh Hirst because later that night he was stabbed to death with a knife outside his own home.
“It was one of these three defendants. Although only one of them struck the fatal blow all three are guilty of murder.”
He told the jury that August 3 was a ‘big day’ for a number of people in Mirfield as a group of men from the London Park Estate in Mirfield were to be sentenced for robbery.
Smith and Church were friends of the defendants and together with four others attended Leeds Crown Court to hear the sentencing.
But the jury was told within half an hour of leaving court Smith and Church carried out some ‘unusual shopping’ and bought a knife in Leeds at Fantasia Shop, Ludgate Hill, and two balaclavas at Leeds Kirkgate Market.
Mr Davey continued: “Why were balaclavas being bought in August?”
It is the prosecution’s case they later, together with Rashid, driving his Silver Renault Megane ‘hunted Josh Hirst’ and killed him.
The court heard there was ‘bad blood’ as they wrongly linked Josh with an ‘ugly incident’ at Church’s home in May last year when a white car, like Josh’s was spotted. The day after the incident the windows on Josh’s dad’s van were smashed.
Josh texted Church saying: “Drop what you have against me. I just want to be able to get on with my life.”
But the jury yesterday heard how Church and Smith, driven by Rashid, ‘picked up’ Josh Hirst’s white Audi at 10.40pm and followed it to his home in Grove Street.
Mr Davey continued: “Josh Hirst was approached by two masked armed men, plainly intent on violence.
“He ran for it. He was pursued and caught by Church and Smith.
“No doubt his attackers thought through numbers, disguises and the weapon they would be able to carry out their plan without a struggle.”
Mr Davey added: “They had a choice. They could stay with Josh Hirst and try to stem the blood loss, call an ambulance, call for help or get Nadeem Rashid to drive him to a hospital, but they left him for dead and did everything they could to save their own skin.”
The court heard that Josh staggered back home suffering ‘massive blood loss’ with his ‘throat cut’ and a ‘long horizontal wound to his back.’
His father told him to go to his truck and raised the alarm but Josh collapsed on the pavement and died an hour later in hospital.
Prosecutor Davey said while the ambulance was rushing to assist Josh all three defendants set about getting rid of the evidence.
Church sent a text message to his then girlfriend Kirstie Rainsford to meet them at a prearranged meeting point in Forge Lane where Rashid dropped them. Miss Rainsford then took them to friend Lizzie Barker’s in Mitchell Avenue, Waterloo.
Later Rainsford returned to the same house, driving Church’s newly purchased Silver Astra which she had filled up with petrol, then took a taxi home.
The prosecution say it is then that Church, Smith and friend Christopher Coles took the blood-stained items in two bags well into South Yorkshire to disperse of them.
Some of the items were later recovered by police with the help of Christopher Coles.
The next day Rashid sold his Silver Renault Megane. A balaclava with his DNA was also later found in his girlfriend’s car.
The trial continues.
