A dream holiday in Greece ended in tragedy when a Tadley teenager was stabbed through the heart in a street brawl, an inquest heard on Monday.
Grieving friends of 18-year-old Robert Sebbage described the moments leading up to the horror on the island of Zante on July 13 this year.
North Hampshire coroner Andrew Bradley recorded a verdict on unlawful killing at Basingstoke’s civic offices and criticised the emergency services’ slow response as the former Hurst Community College student lay dying in the street.
Mr Sebbage was on holiday with eight pals and due to fly back on July 15 when a fight broke out with a taxi driver, resulting in the fatal stabbing and injuries to four of his friends.
According to evidence given by pals, the group were out celebrating when they came across two taxis.
One of the taxis nudged into one of the pals, Callum Lane, and the group recognised the driver from an incident two days earlier.
Then, the pals had seen a drunk man being sick and had bundled him into the vehicle, prompting outrage from the driver.
Mr Lane reacted to being nudged by sitting on the car bonnet and the group chanted at the driver and opened his door, forcing him to get out before he drove off. He was no longer involved in the incident.
The pals then left to get some food at a packed McDonalds.
But the driver of the second taxi, who witnessed the incident moments earlier, followed the young men and parked on the road opposite the restaurant, got out of his vehicle and stared at them.
This prompted Mr Sebbage, along with the others, to taunt the driver, who was not named in the inquest.
According to a Mr Lane, the driver stormed over to the group after Mr Sebbage and Jordan Manson swore at him.
He confronted Mr Sebbage, and Mr Manson with a baseball bat before being persuaded to back down.
He returned to his car, but continued watching the group.
A laser pen was then shone at the driver, which led to him attacking the group again, but this time with a four-inch flick knife protruding from his clenched fist.
Friend Dominic Luckman said: “Suddenly, everyone, all my friends started dropping. I did not see him (Mr Sebbage) get stabbed. I was shocked and I did not know what was going on.
Steven Granstone said: “Jordan was hit first. He then hit Rob.
“I saw Rob and Jordan lying on the floor. I did not see Rob fall, everything happened so quickly. He looked white and his eyes were closed. I knew something was wrong.
“He (the taxi driver) was uncontrollable and I believe he knew who he wanted to get.”
The inquest heard how passerby Aaron Thornston battled to help save the dying teenager.
Mr Sebbage was declared dead in hospital from the single stab wound to his chest. Mr Manson, Mr Lane, Mr Luckman and Mr Granstone all received stab wounds.
In concluding the inquest, Mr Bradley said: “On the night there is a melee in the street and I have no doubt that the lads did there bit in causing that. You had a good time that started to go wrong. He goes back to his vehicle and switches that (the baseball bat) for a flat-bladed knife and does a monumental amount of damage.
“The response from the authorities might bear examination and the inability for them to take it seriously.”
In a statement, Mr Sebbage’s brothers Steven and Martin and his parents Andy and Rhian said: “There are no words that can express or explain how devastated we are at the loss of our son, brother, and friend.
“From the chat we had with Robert on the telephone the afternoon that our lives changed forever, we know that the holiday had been going well. None of us can change what happened to Robert and his friends on that awful night in Zante. However, we have to hang on to all the good times we had together.”
A 21-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Mr Sebbage.
