“Bickering” over a nitrous oxide canister led to a rise in tension before an outbreak of violence outside a Royal British Legion Club in which a father-of-one died and two others were stabbed, a court has heard.

Garon Jewell, 19, and Draven Jewell, 21, are accused at Winchester Crown Court of killing 23-year-old Max Maguire in the fight outside the club in Lymington, in the New Forest.

Two friends of the victim, Georgia Hole and Luke Gray, were also stabbed during the altercation, which happened shortly before midnight on October 22, 2021.

Adam Feest QC, prosecuting, has told the jury that the two defendants were among two groups of people drinking at the private members’ club who loosely knew each other.

He said that tensions rose in the garden area after Garon Jewell was “rude” to Mr Maguire and Mr Gray after they had asked how old he was.

READ MORE: Lymington fisherman Max Maguire ‘murdered by brothers in Royal British Legion club,' jurors told

He added that another cause of the disagreement between the groups was over a nitrous oxide canister, known as laughing gas, which Draven Jewell had earlier found and had brought with him.

Giving evidence, Ms Hole said that her group of friends had “too much to drink” and tensions rose over the canister.

She described how one of the Jewell brothers had “teased” her friends over it and said: “They were bickering over this canister.

“He kept it quite hidden in his jacket, when asked what it was, he would tease them ‘None of your business’, and rub it in their faces that he had something in his jacket.”

Ms Hole said that Mr Gray was becoming angered by the Jewell brothers, who he felt were being rude to him, with one of them showing “attitude on his face”.

She admitted telling the defendants: “Stop with the mouth, this isn’t going to end well for any of us.”

Ms Hole said that Mr Maguire had offered to buy the canister but the Jewells were not interested in selling it.

She added: “I wouldn’t say Max was going to just take it, we were in the middle of the pub and it would have caused an uproar if he were to just take it.”

Draven Jewell has pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon but, with his brother, denies murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter of Mr Maguire, from Pennington.

Draven Jewell also denies the attempted murder of Mr Gray and, with his brother, two alternative charges of wounding Mr Gray.

The two brothers, from Lymington, also face two alternative wounding charges relating to Ms Hole.

The defendants claim to have acted in “lawful self-defence”, the court heard.

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