Two teenage gang members have been accused of fatally stabbing an 18-year-old from a rival gang in broad daylight in the centre of Ipswich earlier this year.

Alfie Hammett, 19, and Joshua Howell, 18, have both been charged with the murder of Raymond James Quigley on January 17 in Westgate Street.

They have also been charged with possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

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

Hammett, of Larkhill Rise, Rushmere St Andrew, and Howell, of Wellington Street, Ipswich, both deny the charges.

Mr Quigley, from Wymondham in Norfolk, suffered four stab wounds to the torso and died at the scene, a Home Office post-mortem examination concluded.

In his opening statement at Ipswich Crown Court today, Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, said of Mr Quigley: “You will hear that prior to his death he had some association to a gang in Norfolk called On the Money or OTM.

“It was probably his association with that gang that led to his untimely death.

“But on that afternoon all that he was doing was simply with his friends walking in the busy shopping area.

“He had no idea of the tragic events that were about to unfold.”

The court heard Mr Hammett was associated with the Third Side Norwich gang and Mr Howell was associated with the Nacton gang.

The court heard Mr Hammett and Mr Quigley were known to each other before the killing.  

Mr Jackson told the jury a motive for the alleged murder may have been in the “deep rooted gang rivalry” between the Norfolk gang Only The Money and the Norwich and Ipswich gangs with which the defendants were linked.

But he said the precise event which led to the killing isn’t immediately clear.

He added that tensions were high earlier in the year between the gangs.

He described the attack in detail as Mr Quigley walked down Westgate Street with two friends and said they were confronted by Hammett and Howell.

“When those two groups came together and Mr Quigley was spotted, Alfie Hammett and Joshua Howell went towards him.

“Alfie Hammett having pulled a knife got to Mr Quigley first and he began to attack and stab James Quigley.

“Joshua Howell who had also pulled out what you may think is a machete and so armed and providing an intimidating presence prevented any of Mr Quigley’s friends from intervening to help." 

He said Joshua Howell chased one of those friends at knife point into a nearby branch of a JD Sports shop making sure the friend could do nothing to help and this allowed Alfie Hammet to kill James Quigley, Mr Jackson alleged.

After the incident Mr Jackson said both Alfie Hammett and Joshua Howell ran off in different directions and disposed of the clothing they had worn and disposed of the knives they had used.

“Both were arrested later and when both were given an opportunity to give an account to the police both declined to do so,” he said. 

Mr Jackson added that a later examination showed Mr Quigley sustained a total of four stab wounds.

Addressing the jury, he said: “The two fatal wounds were to his chest and abdomen and you’ll hear such is the severe force that was used by Alfie Hammett when he inflicted the fatal chest wound it penetrated Mr Quigley’s breast bone and two of the major blood vessels of the heart causing rapid and massive blood loss leading to unconsciousness and eventually death.”

CCTV footage was shown to the jury of the attack and it shows Mr Quigley running into the shop Cards Direct where Mr Jackson said he died.  

In a tribute shared after his death, Mr Quigley's family said: "James (RJ) has now been laid to rest. He was and always will be a beloved son, brother, uncle, grandson and nephew, as well as a much loved friend. He will be missed forever."