Teenager found guilty of manslaughter over 'zombie killer' stabbing
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Version 0 of 1. The 17-year-old killer of a teenager fatally stabbed with a so-called “zombie killer” knife in north London in 2015 faces years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter. Stefan Appleton, 17, died after being stabbed with a 25in (63cm) serrated blade. A jury at the Old Bailey deliberated for more than 14 hours before reaching its verdict. On Friday, it cleared Appleton’s attacker of murder. He will be sentenced this month. The alleged driver of a getaway moped, also 17, was cleared of murder, while another 17-year-old was found not guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. The three teenagers have not been named for legal reasons. There were gasps from Appleton’s family as the jury delivered the verdicts. Relatives of the victim left the courtroom in tears. The trial had heard that Appleton was attacked while with friends in the park in Islington. He had run for his life but tripped over a low fence and was stabbed while defenceless on the ground. The court heard that his attacker fled on a scooter driven by a 17-year-old friend after shouting “RP”. The initials were believed to refer to a local gang called Red Pitch, who were in conflict with another in Nightingale Park, where the attack took place. The verdicts came amid calls for the banning of such knives. The home secretary, Theresa May, has promised to act after police warned that they were becoming fashion accessories. The weapons, advertised online, can be bought for just a few pounds. DCI Chris Jones, of the Met’s homicide and major crime command, who led the investigation into the incident, said: “There can be absolutely no excuse for young people to carry such dreadful weapons on London’s streets and this case once again highlights the awful consequences of doing so. “I would like to thank Stefan’s family that have conducted themselves with dignity, demonstrating enormous strength and resolve throughout what must have been a very difficult trial process.” Simon Denison QC, prosecuting, told the trial Stefan’s death was “another tragic waste of a young life in this city taken by a knife. But this was not the sort of small kitchen knife that is so often so foolishly carried by young people and then is used in a moment of madness. “This was a weapon, with no legitimate purpose. It is called a zombie killer, which sounds as if it should be a toy, but it is anything but,” said Denison. “It was a very big knife, like a machete, and in the wrong hands it was a deadly weapon.” The court heard that the killer, then aged 16, was driven to the park by a friend on a stolen moped at about 6pm on a “bright and sunny” June evening last year. Denison said the victim was with a group of friends playing a game called “pound up”. “Children were playing on the swings and slides. Others played football on the grass. That peaceful scene was shattered and Stefan Appleton’s life was suddenly and violently ended,” he said. The killer, who was wearing a hood and a balaclava, jumped off the moped and pulled the knife out of its sheath. As Stefan and friends ran away, the knifeman gave chase. Denison said: “After a matter of seconds Stefan tripped over a low fence and fell over. As Stefan lay helpless on the ground, [the passenger] stabbed him repeatedly. “One of the blows cut over his right shin, no doubt as Stefan kicked out to try to defend himself. One penetrated the left side of his chest, passed through his lung, and into his heart.” Appleton got up and ran a short distance before collapsing. Despite the attempts of friends, neighbours and paramedics to save his life, he died in hospital. The killer had fled to Bristol and tried to arrange a flight to Málaga, Spain, before returning to London. Within days he was arrested. In his defence, the killer told the trial he had come under attack when he went to snatch a bicycle which had been stolen by another boy. The weapon was never found, but during a search police seized three other zombie killer knives and other blades, including a machete. The boy who carried out the attack had a previous conviction for possessing a blade. Earlier this year, Alf Hitchcock, chief constable of the Ministry of Defence police and lead on knife crime for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said in an interview: “These are absolutely horrific weapons for which there can be no legitimate use. While we haven’t got significant evidence of a huge increase in sales, there is enough evidence for it to be worrying and we are looking to work on a form of words that bans these weapons.” A total of 6,908 knives were confiscated by courts in England and Wales in 2014-15, as last year’s official figures showed a rise in knife crime for the first time in four years. Sentencing will take place on 21 April. |