Joshua Howell in wrong place says defence in Ipswich trial

Joshua Howell, 18, is jointly accused with Alfie Hammett, 19, of the murder of Raymond James Quigley, who was killed in Westgate Street in the centre of Ipswich in January last year.

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

On Monday, Howell’s defence barrister Christopher Henley told the jury that his client’s defence could be summarised by a comment Howell had made to a social worker – that he had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Howell had previously told the court that he met with Male One, who the prosecution says stabbed Mr Quigley and believes is Alfie Hammett, to sell him cannabis.

He said that it was not the pair’s intention to find and ambush Mr Quigley, and that the two groups encountered each other by chance.

Mr Henley said that in fact, Howell had not previously known Male One, and had never met or heard of either Mr Quigley or his two friends.

Raymond James Quigley was stabbed to death on January 17 last year. (Image: Suffolk Constabulary)

Howell’s actions that day, said Mr Henley, did not match with the behaviour one might expect of someone on a “mission”.

He said that Howell and Male One had taken a meandering route through town, and that Howell had paused to answer his mobile phone twice before encountering Mr Quigley, with one call being from a police officer.

The prosecution argues that while Male One stabbed Mr Quigley, Howell held off the two friends with a machete.

However, Mr Henley said that Howell had never intended to use the knife he carried.

“It is a sad reality we read about almost every day that young men feel safer wandering about with knives,” he said.

Mr Henley added that a “wry smile” Howell gave when being cross-examined by prosecutor Andrew Jackson spoke to his confidence in his own innocence.

The trial continues.