A Nigerian student, Khaleed Oladipo, was fatally stabbed in the heart during an alleged attack linked to a dispute over money and the attempted sale of a fake Rolex watch, a murder trial in the United Kingdom has heard.
Oladipo, a 20-year-old third-year student of De Montfort University (DMU), was allegedly stabbed by 18-year-old Harper Dennis on February 3, 2026, in Leicester.
Dennis, a first-year student at the University of Leicester, is standing trial at Leicester Crown Court, where he denies murder, possession of a bladed article and failing to comply with a legal notice requiring him to provide the password to his mobile phone.
Prosecutor Jane Osborne KC told the court that Oladipo and Dennis had previously been friends after meeting in Leicester through online gaming and were members of a group chat known as Clownshow.
However, their relationship reportedly deteriorated following a dispute over money arising from an unsuccessful attempt by Dennis to sell a fake Rolex watch he had received from Oladipo.
The court heard that on the evening of February 3, Oladipo left his girlfriend’s flat carrying a plastic bag containing leftover snacks and remained on the phone with her as he walked towards his nearby accommodation to watch football.
At about 5pm, he encountered Dennis outside the DMU Innovation Centre on Oxford Street.
According to the prosecution, CCTV footage showed Dennis walking around the area before the two men met. Osborne told the court that less than 30 seconds passed between their meeting, a struggle and Dennis leaving the scene.
Oladipo’s girlfriend reportedly heard him ask, “Why did you come up and stab me?” during the phone call before he asked her to call an ambulance.
A post-mortem examination found that Oladipo had suffered six wounds, including five to the chest. One of the stab wounds penetrated his heart, while another injured his thumb.
The incident was captured on the dashcam of a passing vehicle and shown to the court.
The prosecution said Dennis fled the scene with his face covered, while members of the public attempted to save Oladipo by performing chest compressions until police officers and paramedics arrived.
Oladipo was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary but was pronounced dead just over an hour after the attack.
Police later recovered a black folding knife at the scene.
That same evening, Dennis was arrested at his accommodation on Bath Lane, Leicester. Police also seized his mobile phone after he allegedly refused to provide the PIN code.
A search of his flat uncovered four knives, including two kitchen knives, a 25-centimetre knife with a double-bladed tip and a Kombat Tactical knife with serration.
The court also heard that Dennis had given a flatmate a black bin bag to dispose of with her rubbish. Police later discovered that the bag contained clothing which CCTV footage showed Dennis wearing at the time of the alleged attack.
Following a police interview in which he made no comment, Dennis later provided a statement admitting that he had been present during the incident but claiming that he acted in self-defence.
Prosecutors told the court that investigations into the relationship between the two men revealed a dispute over the attempted sale of a fake Rolex.
Dennis had reportedly taken the watch to a jeweller in Hatton Garden, London, in an attempt to sell it, but was allegedly told that it was fake.
The court further heard that Oladipo had told a friend he believed he had been followed around Leicester in November and December 2025.
Prosecutors also alleged that Dennis made two anonymous threatening phone calls to Oladipo’s girlfriend on Christmas Day, claiming that Oladipo was “a bad guy” and owed £3,000.
In January, Oladipo reportedly told a friend that he was angry about the dispute but also scared of Dennis.
Snapchat messages presented to the court allegedly showed the deterioration of their relationship, including a message from Dennis stating that he would “dedicate his life to making sure Mr Oladipo suffers for what he did.”
Financial records also showed several transfers between the two men dating back to December 2024. The final transfer, made by Oladipo to Dennis on Christmas Day 2025, was for 60 pence and carried the reference “5999 to go.”
Dennis, of Bath Lane, Leicester, denies all the charges against him.
The trial is expected to last three weeks and is continuing.