Tashaun Aird death: Three teens jailed over stab death

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-52096356

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Three teenagers who stabbed a 15-year-old boy to death with a samurai sword and a zombie knife in an east London park have been jailed.

Tashaun Aird was knifed nine times in the chest and back during a planned attack in Hackney on 1 May.

A 16-year-old boy who was found guilty of murder has been jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 17 years.

At the Old Bailey, two other teenagers were also jailed for 12 years having been convicted of manslaughter.

The jury had heard Tashaun was set upon in Somerford Gardens after earlier telling 18-year-old Romaine Williams-Reid he was not part of the Hackney gang, Red Pitch.

The two other defendants attacked the aspiring musician and his friends later as they tried to flee from the park. Another 16-year-old boy was stabbed but made a full recovery.

'Terrible waste'

Judge Angela Rafferty QC said the victim was part of "a group of unarmed young people posing no threat whatsoever" and had nothing to do with the targeted gang.

She said Tashaun's music may "somehow" have been connected, "but it is unlikely we will ever truly know", adding that the murder was "a terrible waste of a young life".

The 16-year-old who was found guilty of murder was also sentenced to four years in prison for wounding, to be served concurrently.

A 16-year-old who was found guilty of manslaughter was also sentenced to four years in prison for wounding with intent, also to be served concurrently.

Williams-Reid, of Romford, was given another two-and-a-half year jail sentence, again to be served concurrently, having been found guilty of wounding.

A fourth murder suspect, Caden Stewart, 16, died in custody on 27 June after becoming unwell.