A MAN was stabbed to death in Rodbourne by drug dealers seeking revenge for being robbed, a court has heard.

Five men chased and caught up with Roger Millar, 44, before he was stabbed repeatedly with a large hunting knife, it was claimed.

Jurors at Bristol Crown Court were also told that local residents heard Mr Millar pleading with his attackers and saying "It's nothing to do with me, mate" and a voice shout "I'm going to f****** kill you".

Prosecutors allege Mr Millar was attacked because he was unable to get away from his five pursuers - Shelton Sibanda, 19, Zacharious Clayton, 19, Kendel Joseph, 19, Eurico Tavares, 18, and Christopher Simmonds, 28.

He suffered five stab wounds to his back and lower limbs during the attack in Swindon at around 1.30am on June 6 last year.

Mr Millar, of East Street, died a short time later in hospital.

Jurors were told that less than an hour earlier Mr Millar was with two other men and a woman who were waiting to buy drugs.

One of the men - Damian Lynch - had decided to rob the drug dealer and set upon him when he arrived riding a bicycle.

Sibanda dropped a small kitchen knife he was carrying and fled leaving the bicycle behind, prosecutor Nigel Lickley QC told jurors.

He returned to a party in a nearby flat to round up his associates and go out looking for revenge.

Sibanda was armed with a large hunting knife, which eyewitnesses at the flat said was hanging from a sheaf around his neck.

Sibanda - who has admitted murder and is not facing trial - left with Clayton, Joseph, Tavares and Simmonds to find Mr Millar's group.

Parts of the chase through the Rodbourne area was heard by residents and captured on CCTV cameras.

Mr Lickley told the court: "In the early hours of June 6 last year in a quiet residential street in Swindon, Roger Millar was murdered.

"He was stabbed to the back and lower limbs causing serious injury from which he died.

"He died as part of, the prosecution say, a revenge attack by the defendants and one other.

"They were taking action against a group of drug users who had wronged them, and in particular Shelton Sibanda.

"It seems that Mr Millar, who was perhaps the oldest and the slowest of the group he was in, was selected because he was the slowest and unable to make his escape.

"A large hunting-style knife was used and the injuries were inflicted from behind. Mr Millar died very shortly thereafter."

Mr Lickley explained that the catalyst for the murder was the robbery of Sibanda by Mr Lynch.

"There was a scuffle, at least. Sibanda got away and ran off leaving behind his bike and dropping a knife," he said.

"It does not appear that Roger Millar played any part in it at all."

Sibanda returned to the flat in Rose Street and immediately got the others together.

"The Crown say they were told about what happened and they immediately set off in search of the group and their purpose was revenge," Mr Lickley said.

The prosecutor said that eyewitnesses at the flat described seeing the large hunting knife in a sheaf hanging around Sibanda's neck.

"Ask yourselves why would Sibanda do that? What was his purpose? If you went with him what would be your purpose?," Mr Lickley asked.

"We suggest there was one purpose - not to get back a bicycle - but to exact revenge upon that group.

"That's exactly what happened. There was a common purpose, a common intent shared by all five of these men.

"They were taking different routes in the quiet of the night to hunt, engage, track down and pursue the others."

Residents living in several streets near the murder scene heard different men's voices with people running and shouting "No, come on mate" and "I'm going to f****** kill you" and "I am going to get you".

"A man heard four or five blows and then followed by a groan," Mr Lickley said.

The prosecutor said the witness saw Mr Millar pick himself up off the floor but immediately fell down again, before getting up and falling over again.

"He thought the man was drunk," Mr Lickley said.

During the course of the attack in Barnum Court, a telephone call was made to a taxi firm from Mr Millar's mobile phone and the operator could hear a voice saying 'don't stab me, don't stab me'.

Witnesses in the flat described seeing Sibanda, Simmonds and Tavares return without Clayton and Joseph.

And jurors were told that Clayton and Joseph had in fact been arrested near the scene of the attack by police.

The jury of eight women and four men were told that following the arrest of the two defendants, officers found a pair of discarded scissors in which Joseph's DNA was found.

"He had a pair of scissors on him at 1.30am in the morning and they were then thrown away," Mr Lickley said.

"A weapon, we suggest. Ask yourself why he had them? Why carry them?"

At the beginning of the trial Sibanda, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to a charge of murder. He will be sentenced at the end of the trial.

Clayton, of Dean Street; Joseph, of Pioneer Road; Tavares, of Burbage Road, all Swindon; and Simmonds, of Mundania Road, London, each deny a single charge of murder.

Simmonds has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by persuading his former girlfriend to give a false account to the police about the night of Mr Millar's death.

The trial, before Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, is expected to last six weeks.

  • The CCTV footage above has been shown to the jury. It shows Roger Millar (in light trousers) behind Damian Lynch, Kirsty Doole, Liam Morrow as they head into Hawkins Street, Rodbourne, followed by Christopher Simmonds (on bike), Shelton Sibanda, Kendal Joseph, and Zacharious Clayton. Tavales Eurico is not shown on the footage.