A friend of Charlie Kutyauripo’s told the Old Bailey that he was stabbed to death due to an argument over a tracksuit.

The witness explained Charlie, ­and the 16-year-old boy charged with his murder, both revealed to him they were quarrelling over the item of clothing at the end of last year.

Charlie, also 16, was then knifed outside a birthday party in Ashton Playing Fields, Woodford Bridge, at 9.40pm on January 9.

He was taken to Whipps Cross Hospital, in Leytonstone, but died within the hour.

The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is on trial at the Old Bailey, charged with the murder of Charlie, of Collier Row Lane, Collier Row.

Yesterday several witnesses attested to the rivalry between the pair.

A 17-year-old, who was friends with Charlie and the defendant, told the court both had said they were arguing over a tracksuit.

The witness, who used to play basketball with the defendant, said: “He said it was over some track suit or something. I think Charlie had lent it to him and they were just disputing over it.”

He added Charlie had told him “pretty much the same thing”.

He told the jury: “I didn’t take it seriously, I didn’t think it was a big situation, I thought it was minor.”

The court had previously heard how Charlie and the boy on trial had used to be friends.

Prosecutor Louis Mably QC asked the witness about comments the defendant had made to him at the end of last year.

The boy said: “He talked about how he had carried a knife … he said he carried a knife in his pocket.”

CCTV footage from the night of the party, appears to show the defendant stabbing Charlie twice with a 15cm kitchen knife.

Under cross examination the witness said he had never “seen or heard” Charlie carrying a blade.

Earlier in the day the court had heard evidence from a 14-year-old girl, who knew the defendant.

She told the jury that in a phone conversation less than 48 hours before Charlie was killed, the defendant had confided in her that he was going to “bang” Charlie.

Under questioning from the defence she stated “Charlie wanted to stab” the defendant.

Oliver Saxby QC asked her if Charlie and his friends, allegedly known as “the Hainault gang”, were “sometimes quite violent and quite aggressive”. She agreed.

The girl said that the defendant was “really scared about that”.

Another witness who knew the defendant told the Old Bailey he had had “numerous threats at knife point” since the incident from “Hainault boys”.

The boy, from Seven Kings, denies murder. The trial continues.