A knifeman stabbed a 23-year-old to death on a busy street in a “revenge killing” following an earlier attack, a court has heard.
Junior Suleimane, 22, is accused of the murder of Felizardo Jose Viera-Balde following a chance encounter in St Peter's Road in Great Yarmouth in February 2023.
Norwich Crown Court was told he had pulled out a large knife to inflict fatal injuries with a single stab wound to the chest as revenge for an attack he had suffered a month earlier.
Mr Viera-Balde, a factory worker who was living at the Elstow Hotel off Stanley Terrace, died in a nearby alleyway after staggering away from the broad daylight attack with “unsurvivable injuries”.
READ MORE: Murder probe after Great Yarmouth Wellington Road stabbing
Suleimane, of Market Place, Yarmouth, was arrested two days later in Leeds after attempting to evade arrest by fleeing via Cambridge and London.
He denies murder with the court told he claims to have been acting in self-defence.
Will Carter, prosecuting, said the spur of the moment attack had been “quite simply a revenge killing” after an unexpected encounter with someone he accused of having previously stabbed him to the top of his leg.
Fatal knife attack captured on CCTV
A jury of seven men and five women was shown CCTV of Suleimane leaving a Londis shop after buying cigarettes and seeing Mr Viera-Balde walking past.
The graphic footage showed him removing a large knife from a backpack and walking towards Mr Viera-Balde before striking him.
“The victim staggered back clutching his chest and although the stabbing had fatally wounded him he managed to run away to an alleyway where he collapsed,” said Mr Carter.
READ MORE: Local community in shock after man stabbed to death
Two women who called 999 had seen him staggering down neighbouring Wellington Road moments after following the attack.
“He seemed to be spitting but was in fact coughing up blood,” said Mr Carter.
Life-saving attempts by a first aider from a nearby firm had proved unsuccessful after he was found lying close to death outside the property of a friend, he added.
Following the attack the CCTV footage showed Suleimane and his uncle Jaimes Santos leaving the scene.
The court was told five minutes later they were captured on another camera entering the rented flat on Marine Parade before leaving 20 minutes later with Suleimane having changed clothes and Santos carrying a bin bag.
They had then been seen walking onto Yarmouth beach towards the sea out of sight of CCTV before heading through sand dunes.
“The prosecution says the knife and the clothing was in the bag they had. Neither have ever been recovered and we say it was discarded somewhere in the sea or on the beach,” said Mr Carter.
Escape attempt led to arrest on bus in Leeds
Two hours after the attack the two men had been picked up by taxi from the Haven Seashore Holiday Park in North Dene and taken to Loddon as part of a convoluted attempted get-away, the court heard.
From Loddon they had gone to the Stower Grange Hotel in Drayton but had left in the early hours of the following morning heading to North Walsham before taking a taxi to Cambridge where they checked into a guest house.
They then travelled to London and took a coach from Victoria Coach Station to Leeds.
READ MORE: Men arrested at West Yorkshire bus station after stabbing
Both were arrested when police boarded the coach when it arrived at Leeds bus station at 8.10pm.
In a prepared statement following his arrest Suleimane admitted to police he had walked towards Mr Viera-Balde with the knife and made a “jabbing motion” but denied that he had intended to kill him.
The trial continues.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article