A MAN tried in vain to stop his friend dying after he was stabbed in the chest, a court heard.

Kamil Mirga, 19, from Southend, gave evidence yesterday as a witness to the killing of Fabian Kacica in May.

Two men are on trial for his murder and attempted robbery.

Joe Paffey, 21, of Old Southend Road, Southend, is accused of delivering the fatal blow with a knife while Aidon Pearce, 21, of Treecot Drive, Leigh, is accused of being jointly responsible for Fabian’s murder.

Both defendants deny murder and attempted robbery.

Mr Mirga described himself as Fabian’s best friend and had known him since primary school.

On the day he died, May 14 this year, the two were socialising with two 15-year-old girls and had arrived at the Forum in Southend so one of the girls could use the toilet.

He told the jury: “When the girls went to use the toilet, some boys were making comments.

“I didn’t know who they were and I thought there might be trouble.

“So as soon as the girls came back, I said ‘let’s just go’.”

Mr Mirga told the court as soon as the girls got in the car, a man he did not know said “take the keys out of the ignition” and then someone took the keys from the ignition of Fabian’s Ford Fiesta.

He added: “From there, Fabian punched him and then as it happened, I tried getting out of the car with a wheel brace and as I get there Fabian was being stabbed.

“I swung the wheel brace for the group and they backed up.

“Fabian had been stabbed so I grabbed him. I started pushing on the wound and asked someone to call an ambulance.”

Mr Mirga admitted arming himself with the wheel brace from the boot at the point the group of men made comments to the girls but denied it was because he wanted a fight.

He said: “I told Fabian ‘I will just grab it just in case but we’re going to go’. That’s what I wanted to do.”

In a police interview read to the court, he described the situation as “tense” when the keys were taken.

Reading it aloud, prosecutor Amjad Malik QC said: “I thought they were going to take advantage of the fact they outnumbered us but for what purpose I wasn’t sure.”

Mr Mirga said he initially didn’t think Fabian was fatally wounded.

He told the jury: “I thought it was just a scratch.

“When I saw it was in the chest I knew it was more serious but the paramedics told me he was going to be fine.

“That’s why I didn’t think he was going to die.”

The trial, which is expected to last four weeks, continues.