A SCHOOLBOY accused of stabbing teenager Reece Tansey to death sent a message to his accomplice boasting about how he carried out the attack.

In a Snapchat message made shortly after the killing on May 4, the 15-year-old, who we can only identify as Boy A for legal reasons, wrote: “At first I thought it only went through his coat so I kept doing it.”

The messages were part of a series of exchanges between him and Boy B, another 15-year-old also accused of murder, which were read to a Manchester Crown Court jury.

On the fourth day of the trial the court heard how the boys appeared to be laughing about what had happened to Reece just before 4.45am on Walker Avenue, Great Lever.

The jury has heard how Reece was goaded into meeting Boy A and B, who had a grievance against his friend, in the early hours of the morning.

Reece, aged 15, was chased, repeatedly stabbed and died a short time later. Boy A admits he stabbed Reece but denies he intended to kill or seriously injure him while Boy B, who was with him at the scene, alleges he did not know his friend had a knife.

Just minutes after stabbing Reece, Boy A made a short video clip of his arm, holding a blood-covered knife, as he walked down the street. The jury were shown the video, to which Boy A had added the word “muppet”.

Police analyst Natalie Leftwich, who examined the messages and other information from mobile phones, stated that after the killing, when Boy A and Boy B separated, they messaged each other from 6.13am.

At one point Boy A states, “He’s dead now”, to which Boy B replies with a laughing emoji.

Ms Leftwich said the boys also discussed Reece being “shocked” at what they had done, giving the impression they did not realise their victim was dead.

The court also heard evidence from a 14-year-old girl, who knew Reece and Boy B.

She told how Boy B had repeatedly called her in the early hours of May 4 wanting to know Reece’s address, which she did not provide.

And then, in a series of messages from Reece, he told her that he was going to have a two on one fight with Boy A and Boy B, which they laughed about.

She said she only realised Reece was dead when she woke at 4pm that day.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said.

Statements were read out to the jury from Faisal Shah and Rameez Khan, two men who called the emergency services after finding Reece in the street after he was stabbed.

Mr Shah had been with Mr Khan to their mosque and were sat in a car on Walker Avenue when they saw Reece fall onto all fours in the middle of the road and spotted a second male "bouncing up and down" on the pavement so they believed there had been a fight.

Reece walked towards the car and, as Mr Shah wound down his passenger window the schoolboy pleaded, "Help me."

"His face looked panicky and worried," said Mr Shah

"He lifted his arm up and I could see that his sleeve was dripping with blood.

"I didn't realise it was critical at that time."

Fearing others may be around and they may be in danger, Mr Khan drove off as they called the emergency services, but returned a short time later to find Reece lying in a house front garden after trying to get help by banging on a door.

Reece told them his name and, after being asked, revealed his attackers' names, which Mr Khan wrote down in his phone.

Mr Khan said he could see Reece was in a lot of pain.

"I could see his stomach pounding as if the life was coming out of him," said Mr Khan, who added that Reece asked him, "Am I going to die?"

A short time later the schoolboy stopped responding to questions and his breathing became "funny" before stopping and he went into cardiac arrest. Doctors were unable to save him.

"I wish I could have done more to help," said Mr Shah.

The trial continues.