A teenager accused of murder has told a jury he is “not in a gang”.

Dominic Adeyemi gave evidence for a second day during his trial at Southampton Crown Court.

The 18-year-old, who is accused of murdering Tawana Choruma in Netley on December 18, was questioned by prosecutor Sarah Jones KC.

It is the prosecution’s case that Adeyemi murdered Mr Choruma as he knew that he and Jack Hibberd planned to rob him of money and drugs. Adeyemi, of Holmes Close, Netley, denies murder.

Previously in the trial, Adeyemi said he and Choruma were friends and sold cannabis together from September 2022 but gradually grew apart.

Adeyemi had said Choruma “associated himself with people who did not like me”.

He was asked by Ms Jones how the victim knew these people did not like him.

Adeyemi said: “Because we were with each other at the time I started getting threats from people.”

He added: “I didn’t discuss it with him [after we stopped talking] as we never met up.”

Ms Jones said: “Are you in a gang? Was Mr Choruma in another gang?” He denied this.

She then asked Adeyemi if the end of their friendship was because of a “fight over territory”, which he denied.

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Adeyemi was also questioned about the prepared statement he provided to police on the day he was charged last year.

Ms Jones said: “Were you and Mr Choruma enemies? Why did you not mention he was someone you knew in your prepared statement?”

Adeyemi said: “We were not enemies. I was just describing the incident that day, I wasn't getting into the past and how I knew him.”

Adeyemi told the jury on Wednesday he was “taken hostage” by Mr Choruma and Mr Hibberd, who owed him money for drugs.

Ms Jones said: “The position was you didn’t want to harm Mr Choruma but you couldn’t see another way out of the situation.

“When he collapsed on the ground, why didn’t you help him?”

Adeyemi said he did not see him collapse, and with Hibberd down the road “brandishing a long knife”, he fled the scene.

“I wouldn’t have stabbed him had I felt safe in the situation”, he added.

The trial continues.