Addict stabbed to death while trying to 'tax' drug dealers, murder trial told

Michael McCann died in June last year

An addict was stabbed to death after he tried to ‘tax’ drug dealers, a murder trial has heard.

Michael McCann, 35, was knifed after he asked a pal to order heroin and crack cocaine. He then became involved in a struggle with 49-year-old Paul Simmons, who was armed with a wooden stick, before Jordan Downs, 32, stabbed him to the leg, prosecutors allege.

The pair deny murder and are on trial at Minshull Street Crown Court. Mr McCann died two days after the incident in Bolton on June 7 last year.

“Mr McCann left his home in Bolton with two associates,” prosecutor Eloise Marshall KC told jurors today (April 23). “Those who knew Mr McCann describe him as a regular user of heroin and crack cocaine.

“On the day in question, when Mr McCann left his home he told his associates he was going to tax some drug dealers.” Ms Marshall said ‘tax’ was slang for stealing drugs.

Christian Legg, one of the two men, called Mr Simmons and arranged to buy some drugs from him, jurors were told. He firstly asked for £10 of crack cocaine and £5 of heroin, which was said to be his ‘usual’ order. Mr Legg arrived and was £4.50 short of the agreed fee.

He was allowed to leave with £10 worth of crack cocaine. About ten minutes later he called back and asked for £75 worth of drugs. Mr Simmons and Mr Downs, who was said to be ‘assisting him [Mr Simmons] in his drug dealing’, were suspicious.

Both men, who lived together in a flat on Bradford Street with Mr Simmons’ girlfriend, Kelly Hughes, went to meet Mr Legg, and both armed themselves. Mr Simmons had a wooden stick, which he kept in the flat for ‘protection’, and Mr Downs picked up a knife, Ms Marshall said.

As they walked downstairs from the flat, Mr McCann was hidden behind some bins. Mr Legge was bending down as if he was getting money from his shoe, and appeared to be taking a ‘long time’. Mr McCann emerged, with a witness claiming he was armed with a knife.

Mr McCann shouted ‘give me the bits’, while Mr Simmons replied ‘am I f***’. Mr McCann continued: “Make it simple and hand me the bits over.”

“No,” he replied. Mr Simmons allegedly hit him with the wooden stick, knocking the knife out of Mr McCann’s hands. The pair then became involved in a struggle, ‘grabbing and grappling’ each other.

Mr Simmons ‘got the better of him’ and held Mr McCann in a ‘headlock’, the court heard. The struggle moved from behind the block of flats to an alleyway. As he was being held, Mr Downs allegedly stabbed Mr McCann to the back of his left leg.

“It was that wound to the back of the leg that ultimately led to Mr McCann’s death nearly two days later,” Ms Marshall said. Ms Hughes ‘ran off’ to get help, jurors heard. When she returned she saw Mr Simmons and Mr Downs ‘drenched in blood’, Ms Marshall said. The two men and Ms Hughes returned to the flat.

Mr Downs allegedly said: “I think I’ve killed him.” He called his mother and told her he’d stabbed someone, jurors were told. A member of the public saw Mr McCann in the street saying ‘you’ve stabbed me’ and ‘you’ve killed me’.

An ambulance was called at 7.15pm. He was rushed to Salford Royal Hospital but never regained consciousness. He died in the early hours of June 9.

Police arrived at the scene and discovered a ‘series of bloody footsteps’ which led them to the flat on Bradford Street. Mr Downs and Mr Simmons were arrested there after 9pm.

After being cautioned, Mr Downs said: “I was lucky that Paul jumped in. Good job I had good mates to protect me.”

Mr Simmons said: “I had a knife. He was hiding behind the bins. I was defending myself.” At the police station, jurors were told that Mr Simmons said: “Some s***head pulled a knife on me and I defended myself.

“There was nothing wrong with him when I left. McCann, I think he is called. There’s cameras behind there anyway to prove I’m innocent.”

After being charged with murder, Mr Simmons said: “Murder? What do you mean, murder?”

Mr Simmons replied ‘no comment’ to questions in his police interview. Mr Downs said he ‘had no idea’ what happened to Mr McCann. He said he didn’t know Mr McCann but heard he was a ‘f****** lunatic’.

Jurors heard that at the time of his death, Mr McCann was living with two brothers, Jason and Thomas Aspinall. Jason Aspinall said Mr McCann regularly used heroin and crack cocaine, and that he carried knives which he kept down his trousers.

Paramedics discovered that Mr McCann had a knife hidden in his trousers when they assisted him. “Jason says Mr McCann had told him he would use knives to tax drug dealers and steal from them,” Ms Marshall said. Mr Simmons was said to be ‘supplying drugs on behalf of another dealer’. Mr Downs had lived with the couple for about six weeks, the court heard.

Ms Hughes claimed that Mr McCann had tried to ‘rob’ Mr Downs and Mr Simmons before. “It is the Crown’s case that Mr Simmons and Mr Downs’ actions resulted in the death of Mr McCann,” She said Mr McCann was ‘unarmed’ and ‘unable to fight back’.

Mr Simmons, of Bradford Street, Bolton, and Mr Downs, of no fixed address, are both charged with murder. Mr Downs is also accused of perverting the course of justice, by disposing of a kitchen knife. The pair deny all the charges.

Proceeding.