Sheffield murder trial into fatal stabbing of Macaulay Byrne enters its second week

Sheffield Crown Court has heard during the two-to-three-week trial which started on November 8 how Bovic Mupolo, aged 22, of Fleury Rise, Gleadless, Sheffield, has pleaded not guilty to murdering 26-year-old Macaulay Byrne following an alleged ‘fight’ involving Mr Mupolo and Mr Byrne outside the Gypsy Queen pub, Beighton.

Prosecuting barrister John Harrison KC claimed Mr Mupolo pushed Mr Byrne outside during an argument at the pub on Drake House Lane and they were allegedly involved in a fight on some steps which went into the car park before Mr Mupolo allegedly stabbed Mr Byrne.

Mr Harrison added Mr Mupolo’s 25-year-old friend Layton Morris had allegedly been involved in another fight with others during the incident before Mr Morris allegedly helped Mr Mupolo get away and allegedly helped him with a change of clothes.

The assistant pub manager called police about 9.55, on December 26, 2021, according to the court, stating a man had been stabbed and was behind the bar.

Macaulay Byrne’s friend Peter Pieterse told police during a recorded interview, played to the jury on November 9, he had been outside in the car park and he had seen a ‘commotion’ involving Mr Byrne – who was known as Coley – and another man.

He said: “The next minute he has come up to me and he’s said ‘he’s stabbed me’. I look at his face. His face was all white. I ended up leading him upstairs and I looked behind, and that kid stood there, bouncing around, going ‘what-what?’. I came back inside and he was still there bleeding-out and there was blood everywhere.”

Mr Harrison, prosecuting, claimed CCTV footage captured ‘flashes’ of something in Mr Mupolo’s hand during the incident and Mr Mupolo could allegedly be seen lunging towards Mr Byrne’s left side. And Mr Pieterse claimed he had seen something in the right hand of the man who had allegedly been fighting with Mr Byrne.

The deceased’s sister Carys Byrne told jurors on November 15 she had gone to the pub after receiving a phone call from a woman saying her brother had been stabbed.

She revealed she knew Mr Mupolo because he was a friend of her ex-partner’s and she phoned him and accused him of stabbing her brother.

Ms Byrne told the court: “I said, ‘You have just stabbed my brother’. He told me he was at home in bed. I told him he was a liar and he put the phone down on me.” She confirmed Mr Mupolo had also told her he had not stabbed anybody.

Another friend of Mr Byrne, Trevor Hector, told the court on November 15 he had noticed an argument outside the pub involving a ‘bunch of people’.

Mr Hector said: “My father asked me to come inside and that’s when I realised something had happened. I was not too sure but you could see blood on the fridge behind the bar. I was not sure what had happened so I did not jump to any conclusions.”

A further friend of Mr Byrne, Georgia Stocks, also told the court on November 15 everybody ran outside and there was shouting before she saw Macaulay Byrne coming back to the pub.

Ms Stocks said: “He was not shouting. He was trying to say he had been stabbed.”

She added Mr Mupolo and Mr Morris told her they had ‘not done it’ before they left as Mr Byrne’s brother turned up.

Mr Harrison, prosecuting, said Mr Mupolo and Mr Morris allegedly took a taxi to Swinton and changed clothes at Mr Morris’ address before going to a pub in Rotherham and then to two bars in Sheffield.

Defendant Mr Mupolo has pleaded not guilty to murder. Defendant Layton Morris, of Sidney Street, Swinton, near Mexborough, Rotherham, has pleaded not guilty to assisting an offender.

Mr Harrison said Mr Mupolo is expected to claim he had been defending himself, and Mr Morris is expected to claim he had no knowledge of the stabbing.

The trial continues.