University student stabbed man in heart over debt, murder trial hears

One student stabbed another five times in the chest, killing him with a fatal blow to the heart amid a dispute over a debt, a court has heard.

Harper Dennis, 18, plunged a knife 13cm deep into the chest of Khaleed Oladipo, 20, after they fell out over money, Leicester Crown Court was told.

He has been charged with murder, having an article with a blade or point, and failing to provide the PIN for his phone.

On Monday, prosecutor Jane Osborne KC alleged Mr Oladipo had been killed in February by his former friend, and that they "knew each other from online gaming".

Opening the prosecution's case, she told the jury Mr Oladipo "was stabbed not once, but a number of times".

She said: "Only one of those stab wounds was fatal. That one fatal wound unfortunately penetrated his heart."

Ms Osborne told the court Mr Oladipo collapsed in the street near De Montfort University and never regained consciousness.

"Khaleed Oladipo was killed not by a stranger, but by somebody who knew him," she continued.

"Whereas Khaleed Oladipo was in his third year at De Montfort University, Harper Dennis was in his first year at the University of Leicester.

"They had previously been friends. They were part of a Snapchat group together, but there had been a falling out seemingly over money that, at the very least, Harper Dennis perceived was owed to him by Khaleed Oladipo.

"It would seem the perceived debt was the reason that Harper Dennis attacked Khaleed Oladipo in the street on the third of February."

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The prosecutor said Mr Oladipo and Dennis were both in Oxford Street, close to De Montfort University's Innovation Centre, when the stabbing happened.

The two men engaged in a "short struggle" before they both went to the floor, Ms Osborne added.

The prosecutor told the court that dashcam footage of the incident showed the defendant's arm in a "backwards and forwards" motion, "consistent with the stab wounds inflicted to the left hand side of Khaleed Oladipo's chest".

A witness recalled seeing a "snowstorm of feathers from one of their coats" during the altercation, Ms Osborne said.

She added: "Having been stabbed, Khaleed Oladipo rises to his knees and the defendant runs off.

"He isn't pursued. It's clear Khaleed Oladipo is not capable of pursuing Harper Dennis."

Ms Osborne added: "It was an incident that lasted, in reality, seconds."

The court was told Mr Oladipo was on the phone with his girlfriend at the time, who heard him say: "Why did you come up to me and stab me?"

She had received threatening phone calls from Dennis the previous Christmas, the prosecution said, alleging that Khaleed owed him £3,000.

Dennis, of West Drayton, London, denies the charges against him.

The trial continues and is expected to last three weeks.

(c) Sky News 2026: University student stabbed man in heart over debt, murder trial hears