Two Suffolk teenagers have denied the stabbing of a man in Ipswich town centre.

Joshua Howell, of Wellington Street in Ipswich, and Alfie Hammett, of Larkhill Rise, Rushmere St Andrew, pleaded not guilty to murder.

Appearing in Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday, April 26, the two 18-year-olds denied a total of four counts of murder and possession of an offensive weapon.

As well as this, Howell denied threatening another man with a bladed article in Westgate Street.

They are both 18 but Howell was 17 at the time of the incident. He turned 18 in February meaning he could be named. 

Raymond James Quigley, also 18, died after being stabbed in Westgate Street on the afternoon of January 17 this year.

The two teenagers were arrested and charged with murder, as well as possession of a knife in a public place.

Ipswich Star:

Both defendants first appeared in Suffolk Magistrates Court on January 24, where no applications for bail were made and both were remanded.

Hammett was remanded in custody while Howell, then 17, was remanded to youth detention accommodation.

Officers were called at 3.35pm on January 17 to reports that a man had been stabbed in Westgate Street, with Suffolk police confirming that evening that a man had died.

The incident happened between Marks & Spencer and the building that was formerly Debenhams.

A cordon was put in place and officers were granted additional stop and search hours after the incident, initially until 5pm on Wednesday, which was then extended for an additional 24 hours.

On Saturday evening, police confirmed two teenagers from the Ipswich area had been arrested and detectives were then granted an extra 36 hours to question the suspects over the incident.

A Home Office post-mortem examination concluded that Mr Quigley's cause of death was four stab wounds to the torso.

The Crown Court trial has been provisionally set for July.