Murdered boy had no affiliation with gangs, says family

THE FAMILY of murdered teenager Jayden Moodie, inset, has said he “had absolutely no affiliation with gangs”.

The 14-year-old was rammed off a moped, then repeatedly stabbed on Tuesday in an area of east London notorious for drug dealing and blighted by socalled county lines gangs that are known to exploit children.

Police, who believe the attack was “targeted and intent on lethal force from the outset”, have found the car thought to have been used by the three men who carried out the attack.

Reading a statement to reporters yesterday, Jayden’s cousin, Leon Green, said he had a keen interest in bikes, loved sports and was due to start at a boxing academy this month.

Standing next to Jayden’s grieving mother Jada Bailey, he said: “His character was infectious and anyone who met him fell in love with his charm.

“He had a huge heart and would do anything for everyone, especially his family. He will be sincerely missed.

“Jayden was a 14-year-old minor who had his whole life ahead of him, which should never have been viciously taken from him.”

Addressing reports that the murder may have been gang related, Mr Green said: “I would like to stress Jayden had recently moved from Nottingham to London and had absolutely no affiliation with gangs.

“Focus needs to be on the fact that he has been brutally murdered in cold blood and deserves a fair chance at justice as much as anyone else in this situation.”

“If there are people in our streets that are capable of killing a 14-year-old child, then no one is safe, and they need to be caught and brought to justice.”

Chief Superintendent Richard Tucker has said he could not sleep for thinking about what had happened to such a young boy. Youth worker Marcellus Baz, who is behind a Nottingham-based youth project called Switch Up, said Jayden and his mother had recently moved to London for a “new start”.

Mr Baz, who said he met the youngster on a street known as a “hotspot for anti-social behaviour and knife crime”, told the BBC he “seemed like a really respectable, polite young man that had his life mapped out”.

“He wanted to go down the construction, painting and decorating route,” he said.

“He looked like he was going to have a new start in London and do something amazing.”