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Five guilty of Kodjo gang murder | Five guilty of Kodjo gang murder |
(20 minutes later) | |
Five teenagers have been found guilty of killing 16-year-old schoolboy Kodjo Yenga. | Five teenagers have been found guilty of killing 16-year-old schoolboy Kodjo Yenga. |
The gang, armed with knives, bats and a bull terrier, screamed "kill him" as they ambushed Kodjo last March. | The gang, armed with knives, bats and a bull terrier, screamed "kill him" as they ambushed Kodjo last March. |
One said he was in a confrontation with Kodjo in Hammersmith, west London, and did not expect others to join in. | One said he was in a confrontation with Kodjo in Hammersmith, west London, and did not expect others to join in. |
Two youths, aged 14 and 17, were found guilty of murder and three others, aged 17, 14 and 15, were found guilty of manslaughter at the Old Bailey. | Two youths, aged 14 and 17, were found guilty of murder and three others, aged 17, 14 and 15, were found guilty of manslaughter at the Old Bailey. |
None of the defendants or young witnesses can be named because of their ages. | None of the defendants or young witnesses can be named because of their ages. |
Objected to bail | |
After the verdicts, it emerged that the 17-year-old found guilty of manslaughter was in court just hours before Kodjo's death. | |
He had been arrested for the theft of a bicycle and for intimidating a witness. Police objected to bail when he was remanded before a West London Magistrates' Court juvenile panel. | |
But he was given bail and was roaming the streets when Kodjo Yenga was attacked that afternoon. | |
A sixth youth was cleared of violent disorder. | |
Please don't die, please don't die Kodjo Yenga's girlfriend | |
Prosecutor Sir Allan Green QC said a woman saw a group of about 10 youths chasing Kodjo, who was running away. | |
"She could hear a few members of the group shouting 'catch him, kill him'," he told the court. | |
The schoolboy was stabbed in the heart and collapsed in the street, where his 15-year-old girlfriend found him. | |
She said: "I ran straight up to Kodjo. He was holding his heart. | |
"I put his head in my lap and I was crying and I said 'Please don't die, please don't die'." | |
She said she had pleaded with Kodjo not to go into the area after being challenged to a fight by one youth - then being ambushed by others. | |
He had said: "I'm not scared of anyone. If you want to fight, let's do this." | |
The youths will be sentenced on 9 May. |