A teen was stabbed to death in what might have been a drug deal gone wrong, a court heard.

Stefan Balaban, 19, was stabbed while sitting in his car in Edgware just before 1am on July 28 last year.

He then drove a short distance before approaching an Uber driver to plead for help.

The Uber driver, Mamun Islam, phoned 999 but despite the efforts of paramedics and members of the public, Stefan was pronounced dead at the scene in Whitchurch Lane at 1.31am.

Hadi Shuman, who is now 18 but was 17 at the time, has pleaded not guilty to Stefan's murder and possession of a bladed article.

Shuman, from Colindale in north-west London, attended a trial opening at the Old Bailey on Tuesday (June 11) wearing a black suit and white shirt.

Prosecutor Ms Pattison told the court: “Hadi Shuman leaned into the car and stabbed Mr Balaban… There is obviously some reason why Hadi Shuman is leaning into the car and it would appear that the nature of the conversation between them soon turns unpleasant.”

A post-mortem examination found Stefan had sustained a single stab wound to the left side of the chest as well as a defensive injury to the right wrist and some small areas of bruising.

A police examination of the victim’s car uncovered a knife inside a sheath from the driver’s footwell, the court heard.

Cocaine, snap bags, weighing scales and a mobile phone containing “drug-related” text messages were also found.

Ms Pattison told the jury: “We say the defendant killed Stefan Balaban with murderous intent by stabbing him in the chest.

“Whether it was a dispute over drugs, or a drugs purchase that went wrong or something else altogether we may never know, but there can be no doubt that something happened that caused Hadi Shuman to remove his knife and stab Stefan Balaban to death.”

The trial continues.