Probe into ‘horrific’ murder of boy, 14

POLICE WERE today investigating after a 14-year-old boy died in an “horrific” targeted attack when three men rammed a car into his moped then stabbed him multiple times.

Jayden Moodie was murdered on Tuesday in an area of east London notorious for drug dealing and blighted by so-called county lines gangs that are known to exploit children.

Chief Superintendent Richard Tucker told reporters he could not sleep for thinking about what had happened to such a young boy.

He said of the boy’s age: “I think that will strike a chord with so many people and so many parents across the UK.”

The teenager, who lived in the area with his mother, was knocked off the moped by a black Mercedes-Benz at 6.30pm on Tuesday in Bickley Road, Leyton, and then stabbed several times by three attackers as he lay unconscious in the road.

Mr Tucker said it was too early to ascertain a motive or say whether an incident a few streets away from the crime scene yesterday when a man was slashed across the face was linked.

The senior officer said: “The overriding factor is he’s 14 years old. A lot of people are saying ‘young man’ – he’s not. He’s a boy. He’s 14.”

A section 60 order was put in place to allow officers to search anyone in the vicinity of the scene for weapons.

Jayden’s godmother Zoe Grant, who lives in Nottingham, paid tribute to the 14-year-old by saying: “He was full of life, fun-loving and a ray of sunshine. He was a beautiful boy, so intelligent, had everything to live for.”