TWO teenagers accused of murdering a Christchurch man left the scene “full of excitement” and “bragged” about what they had done, a court has heard.

A 16-year-old boy from Christchurch and a 17-year-old boy from Bournemouth are accused of murdering 35-year-old Edward Reeve at his home address in Heath Road, Walkford, on New Year’s Eve 2021.

Riel Karmy-Jones QC, prosecuting, opened the case to jurors at Winchester Crown Court on Monday, July 4.

Bournemouth Echo:

READ MORE: Edward Reeve murder trial opens at Winchester Crown Court

Two days before the attack, Mr Reeve, looking to buy drugs, was introduced to the Christchurch teen.

Ms Karmy-Jones QC said the defendant saw Mr Reeve as a “vulnerable man” and someone easy to take advantage of.

She said the defendant used Mr Reeve’s address as a place to “hang out” and take drugs, and on New Year’s Eve, invited his co-defendant and three girls to his address.

The accused teenagers then became “agitated” with the victim and “punched holes in the wall”.

“The violence escalated, and they both attacked Mr Reeve, stabbing and slashing his legs, from behind and his face,” Ms Karmy-Jones QC said.

“It's clear that two knives were used. They stabbed, slashed, and grievously attacked Mr Reeve.”

The principal injury was a stab wound to Mr Reeve’s stomach which severed the main artery which drains the left kidney.

“After the assault, these two defendants left, leaving Mr Reeve in the house. It's not possible to say how long he would have survived,” the prosecutor continued.

“The defendants went back the way they came, they were full of excitement about what they had done, they were proud, they bragged about stabbing Edward Reeve.

“They said 'we just shanked this guy', describing how it happened, saying it was (Christchurch teen) who stabbed him first and (Bournemouth teen) stabbed him in the ribs."

Bournemouth Echo:

Ms Karmy-Jones QC said the teens received a call from a friend currently serving a prison sentence and they "excitedly told" them they had stabbed someone.

The pair told the inmate they were “family” as they had stabbed someone together.

The Christchurch teen returned to the scene on January 3.

"Both defendants wanted to check he was dead or that his body had been found. It hadn’t,” Ms Karmy-Jones QC said.

Mr Reeve’s blood was found on the defendants' clothes, the prosecutor said.

The court heard fabric from a glove belonging to the Bournemouth teen, which they burnt, was located at Hinton Admiral Railway Station.

The Christchurch teen accepts stabbing Mr Reeve but claims it was in self-defence. The Bournemouth teen said he didn’t stab Mr Reeve and just watched his co-defendant attack him.

Ms Karmy-Jones QC said: “Edward Reeve was to them 'a bit of a weirdo' and perhaps they did think he was strange, so they branded him a 'paedo'.

“The teens went there for fun, knowing they could drink and take drugs there, then they became aggressive, trashing the place for fun.

"Finally, they set upon him, a strange and lonely man, with not much of a life but a life they chose to take from him that night, for fun."

Both deny murder, the Christchurch teen pleaded guilty to having a bladed article, the Bournemouth defendant pleaded not guilty to that charge.

Neither can be named for legal reasons and the trial continues.