Northland murder trial: Teen accused says he was acting in self defence

The area at the corner of Paihia Rd (SH11) and Waimangaro Rd, in Ōpua where 22-year-old Bram Willems was fatally stabbed in January. A 15-year-old boy is in court charged with his murder

A 15-year-old Northland boy standing trial for murder says he acted in self-defence when he fatally stabbed Bram Willems in Ōpua, earlier this year.

The boy, who has name suppression, is facing the murder charge in the High Court at Whangārei before Justice Tom Brewer and a jury.

He was 14 at the time the incident unfolded on the night of January 7 this year.

The boy told police in an interview after his arrest he was acting in self-defence when he stabbed Willems 13 times.

One of the stab wounds pierced Willems' heart, leaving him with no chance of surviving.

The court heard today that the boy and Willems had both been drinking earlier that evening.

The knife used during the stabbing was eventually located by police by a tractor tyre not far away from where he was stabbed.

In his opening address, Crown Prosecutor Mike Smith said in relation to the number of times Willems was stabbed: "This was a deliberate act because it happened 13 times. It wasn't a one-off incident."

The trial is set down for three weeks.

Willems, aged 22, was from Okaihau.