Gunman aged 14 guilty of murder
Youngster in teen gang that brutally killed schoolboy, 15
A GUNMAN aged 14 and three other teenagers have been found guilty of murdering a schoolboy in a knife and gun attack outside his home.
The gang shot and hacked at 15-year-old Keon Lincoln with large knives as he lay on the ground trying to escape the brutal afternoon assault.
The schoolboy, pictured, died two hours later at Birmingham Children’s Hospital from a gunshot wound to the stomach. A major artery had also been severed during the 30-second assault as he suffered eight stab injuries.
Jurors convicted the 14-year-old gunman of murder yesterday and also found a 16-year-old boy, from Walsall, guilty of the same charge.
The older boy was caught on CCTV armed with a large knife near the victim’s home in Handsworth, Birmingham, following the attack just after 3pm on January 21 this year. Neither can be named due to their age. Tahjgeem Breakenridge, 18, and Michael Ugochukwu, 18, both from Birmingham, were also found guilty of murder.
During the five-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court, prosecutor Michael Burrows QC said: ‘He [Keon] was shot at whilst he was on the ground. Still, the group continued to attack him, stabbing and hacking at him with large knives.
Eventually, the group got back into a white Ford S-Max and that car was driven away from the scene.’ The vehicle later crashed in the city, where forensic evidence including a hunting knife was recovered.
The prosecutor said there must have been a motive for the attack but he could not say ‘precisely what it was’. He told the court: ‘The car they were going to use was a stolen car on false plates. When they got out of the car, they wore face masks and gloves. They also made sure their phones did not betray their movements. Plainly, it’s obvious this attack was planned. The attackers were out together armed with weapons.’
During the trial, jurors heard that the 14-yearold gunman lied to police by claiming he spent part of the day logged on to online school lessons. He admitted he had lied after records showed he did not attend any lessons after logging on at 8.30am on the day of the attack.
He was also convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, while the other three defendants were also convicted of having an offensive weapon. Jurors will resume their deliberations today to reach a verdict on a fifth suspect Kieron Donaldson, 18, who denies murder.
Donaldson is alleged to have ‘helped and supplied weapons’ for the pre-planned attack.
He bought ten hunting knives, two survival knives and two machetes and then supplied them to the gang, the court heard.
Lord Justice William Davis remanded the four murderers in custody until a sentencing hearing on November 29.