Joan Hoggett murder trial: Jury told killer Ethan Mountain was carrying bag of knives as CCTV footage shown of attack on Sunderland One Stop shop worker who suffered 19 deep stab wounds

A masked teenager carrying a bag of knives was caught on camera stabbing a shop assistant to death as she worked in her store, a court has heard.
Joan HoggettJoan Hoggett
Joan Hoggett

Murder jurors have watched footage of Ethan Mountain's "50 second" attack on Joan Hoggett in the One Stop Shop at Seaburn, Sunderland, which left her with 29 sharp-force injuries, including 19 deep stab wounds and caused damage to her heart, lung, arteries and intestine.The attack, which happened shortly before closing time on September 5 last year, led to "catastrophic" blood loss, which sent the 62-year-old into cardiac arrest and resulted in her death.A court heard Mountain left a blue Nike holdall at the scene, which contained a sheathed Hibben custom knife, a sheathed samurai sword, two sheathed machetes, a hunting knife, a hinged knife, clothing, and a document with his name on.The 19-year-old claimed he left the knife used in the killing at nearby Roker Park but it was never found, although a sheath which may have contained the weapon was discovered there.Mountain, of Heaton Gardens, South Shields, has admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but denies murder and is being tried by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court.

Read More
Joan Hoggett murder trial: Customer tells jury how he tried to help Sunderland O...
Joan HoggettJoan Hoggett
Joan Hoggett

Prosecutor David Brooke QC has shown jurors CCTV footage that captured Mountain leaving his home in South Shields, walk to East Boldon Metro station and board a Metro train to Seaburn, carrying the rucksack.After leaving the Metro at Seaburn station, Mountain walked to the shop and appeared to pause for around a minute, and put on the mask, before he entered the store.The video recording from inside the shop showed Mountain, wearing a hood and mask, approach Mrs Hoggett as she worked in one of the aisles.The killer then launched the attack, appeared to pause, and then continue the violence before leaving.Mr Brooke told the court: "The CCTV footage shows that the defendant entered the shop at 22.33, having pulled a mask over his face.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"He also had a blue Nike holdall on his back."He produced the knife and then confronted Joan Hoggett, attacking her repeatedly with it."At 22.34 he left, no longer carrying the bag, which had fallen off as he bent over the victim."Mr Brooke told the court the "matter was over in about 50 seconds".The court heard Mrs Hoggett's colleague, who had been working in a different part of the shop, heard screaming and called for an ambulance.A customer came into the shop and asked Mrs Hoggett, who was still conscious, whether she had been robbed and she said "no".The court heard Mountain had turned up at a friend's house in the hours after the killing, wearing bloodstained clothing and with superficial cuts he may have caused to himself.He told the pal he had "stabbed someone" and said he had been "seeing people and hearing stuff".The court heard Mountain had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital in 2017 and treated with anti psychotic medication.After the killing, he claimed he "hid symptoms" during his stay in hospital so he could would be released.Police found "no connection at all" between Mrs Hoggett and Mountain, who had been in the shop the previous night and refused cigarettes by another staff member but was "pleasant" as he left.Mountain denies murder on the basis his mental responsibility for the killing was diminished.The trial continues.