Devlin stabbed 'climbing fence'

Thomas Devlin died in a knife attack close to his home in August 2005

Murdered schoolboy Thomas Devlin was attacked with a knife as he tried to climb over a fence to safety, the High Court has been told.

Prosecutors also said two doctors tried to save the 15-year-old as he lay dying close to his north Belfast home.

The details were revealed during a bail hearing for Gary Taylor, of Ross House, Mount Vernon, in Belfast, who denies murdering the teenager in August 2005.

The 23-year-old is also charged with attempting to murder Thomas's friend.

Bail was refused.

Thomas and his friend were attacked as they returned from a late night trip to buy sweets at a filling station in the Fortwilliam area of north Belfast.

Crown counsel Kate McKay said the teenagers and a third friend became aware of two men with a dog behind them as they walked along the Somerton Road towards Thomas's home.

The boys became apprehensive and ran towards the rear perimeter fence of St Patrick's School in an attempt to climb over it, the court was told.

Although one of them managed to scale a section and hid in the grounds of the school, Mrs McKay said Thomas and his other friend were attacked by their pursuers.

She said: "Thomas was assaulted with a knife as he attempted to climb over the perimeter fence. The assault continued as he was falling to the ground."

The barrister told the court it was alleged that the taller of the two attackers, Mr Taylor, was the one who stabbed Thomas.

According to the prosecution a co-accused, Nigel Brown, 25, hit Thomas's friend around the head with a stick-type weapon.

Mr Brown, whose current address is given as Maghaberry Prison, is charged with murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent

Defence barrister Mark Farrell claimed it was an "affront to the process of justice" for Mr Taylor to be charged less than a year after the Public Prosecution Service wrote to tell him he would not be prosecuted.

"This a very weak, circumstantial and fairly directionless case against the accused," he said.