A 14-year-old boy yelled ‘I’m going to wet you’ before stabbing a teenager to death in a park attack, a court heard.
Tomasz Oleszac, also 14, had been walking with friends through a nature reserve near his home in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, when he encountered the other boy who was walking with his girlfriend.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how in a brief but deadly exchange, the attacker – who is now 15 but cannot be named for legal reasons – pulled out a knife from his jacket pocket and delivered a fatal blow to Tomasz.
Tragically, the 8cm-deep stab wound ended young Tomasz’s life.
The incident occurred on October 4 last year in the Whitehills Nature Park next to the Springwell estate, where Tomasz lived.
Prosecutor Mark McKone, KC, read a statement from a friend of the victim to the court, as the young witness described what happened.
The boy said: ‘I heard the suspect shout ”I’m gonna wet you”, it’s slang for ”I’m gonna stab you”.
The 14-year-old died in hospital after being found with a stab wound in the Aycliffe Crescent area of the Springwell Estate of Gateshead on Monday evening
The teenager, who came to England from Poland for a ‘better life’, leaves behind his mother Kamila, father Patryk and a little brother
The scene at Aycliffe Crescent, Gateshead, last year following the fatal attack at the nature reserve
‘There must have been some sort of argument with Tom and (another boy) and the suspect… I think I turned around and then I’ve seen him pulling the blade out of Tom.’
Mr McKone said: ‘The prosecution say that the phrase ”I’m gonna wet you” is the phrase of someone wanting to stab someone and not the words of someone reluctantly acting in self-defence.’
Another young witness described what the term the attacker used meant, telling police: ‘I didn’t see it because I was at the back, but I heard someone shout ”your boy’s been wetted…” It means ”your boy has been stabbed”.’
In describing the fateful event last year, Mr McKone said: ‘The defendant got into conflict with other youths in a park over something trivial. It seems the defendant had said something to the youths and/or given them a dirty look, although this was before Tomasz arrived. The defendant was with his girlfriend, who had previously gone out with a member of the group.
‘The prosecution accept that someone had said they were going to hit the defendant and that a group had approached him.’
The prosecutor continued to say: ‘The defendant stabbed one youth, Tomasz Oleszak who died soon after he was stabbed. Tomasz was still aged 14. The defendant tried to stab another youth but fortunately only his coat was stabbed. Tomasz was part of a big group of approximately 10 people, although he only joined the group at a late stage and shortly before he was stabbed.’
Tomasz’s death left the community of Gateshead in shock, with scores of people paying tribute to the popular and talented footballer. Pictured is a letter left for the teen
Floral tributes were left around the street last year, as the community came to terms with the 14-year-old’s murder
Mr McKone added that one of the teenage witnesses in Tomasz’s group described what he saw, saying: ‘The witness saw the defendant, whom he did not know, with a girl who had previously been going out with another witness.
‘The defendant and the girl were walking through the park ahead of the group.’
Tomasz’s friend told police: ‘We were walking up and the guy shouted something towards us.
‘Tomasz asked what he said. He didn’t answer so Tom got closer to try to get him to say what he told him before. Tom walked up to him closer and that’s when he turned around, took the knife from a pocket around his chest and swung for Tom.’
The boy also confirmed that he could not actually see the weapon – the knife – as it was dark, but that the youth had used it in his right hand.
The young witness told police: ‘I was gonna jump in for Tom, but as soon as he hit Tom he turned and tried to swing for me but I jumped back and he only got my coat.’
The knife slashed through his jacket but the boy was uninjured. However, the young witness said the boy with the knife was screaming at the time he used the knife but he could not say what had been screamed.
Mr McKone continued: ‘Tomasz tried to run away but collapsed. His friend ran to the nearest house for help. An ambulance was called. The defendant and his girlfriend ran away from the group, who were about 10 metres behind when the stabbings took place.’
Tragically, Tomasz died from a single stab wound to the front of his chest which was 8cm deep and 4.5cm wide.
The attacker denies the murder of Tomasz, attempted grievous bodily harm on his friend and carrying a prohibited weapon
A police cordon was put in place at Whitehills Nature Park last year, following the incident. Access to the park was restricted by the police who taped off the entrances
Emergency crews were called to the Aycliffe Crescent area of the Springwell Estate just after 8pm on October 2022, where they found the teenage boy suffering from a stab injury
He passed away on October 5, 2022, in the early hours of the morning.
The teenager, who came to England from Poland for a ‘better life’, leaves behind his mother Kamila, father Patryk and a little brother.
When Tomasz was six, his family moved from Wroclaw in southwestern Poland to the UK.
The teenager was a keen footballer and played for the local Cleveland Hall junior football team as a midfielder in the under-15s squad.
Sadly, the knife completely severed the cartilage of the right third rib, which required a reasonable amount of force, the court heard, with Mr McKone adding: ‘The direction of the stab wound was mainly backwards and slightly from the deceased boy’s right to left.
‘The prosecution say that the nature of the deep stab wound means that this was a deliberate stabbing rather than something which could simply happen by waving the knife around.’
After the stabbing it is alleged the defendant contacted his girlfriend and told her he didn’t have a knife and added ‘if anyone messages you say nothing, don’t say what’s apparently happened’.
He the proceeded to bury the knife following the killing, the court heard.
Mr McKone said the boy will claim that he acted in self defence because members of Tomasz’s group were the aggressors in the incident and were attacking him.
He told jurors: ‘The defendant says that he was attacked by a large number of young men, possibly five, who punched and kicked him and knocked him to the floor.
‘The prosecution accept that some of the group moved towards him but they do not accept that the defendant was punched and kicked.’
The attacker denies the murder of Tomasz, attempted grievous bodily harm on his friend and carrying a prohibited weapon.
The trial continues. It is expected to last for at least 10 days and possibly up to Easter weekend.
DailyMail
