Two teenagers guilty of murdering boy in stabbing

Darrian Williams died after a single stab wound in the back

Two teenagers have been found guilty of murdering a boy who was stabbed and left bleeding to death on a pavement.

Darrian Williams, 16, died after being stabbed in Rawnsley Park in Easton, Bristol, at about 18:00 GMT on 14 February.

Two boys, aged 15 at the time but now aged 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denied his murder but were each found guilty at Bristol Crown Court on Friday.

A jury delivered unanimous guilty verdicts for murder and possession of a bladed article for the pair.

The two teenagers will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on 5 December from 10:00 GMT.

Darrian's aunt, Tiffany Williams told the BBC their "worlds are shattered".

Speaking outside the court on Friday Ms Williams said her family "love everybody who helped us get justice" for Darrian, who she had raised for a number of years.

The incident happened at Rawnsley Park in February

She added: "It won't bring him back and we are all truly devastated but today justice has been served in some way, so thank you.

"If you've got teenagers, please search your kids, make sure they're safe."

"We don't need no more knife crime in Bristol," she said, as members of Darrian's family called out "bin the blade".

Ms Williams standing outside Bristol Crown Court after the jury's verdict

One defendant told the court during the trial he "stabbed" Darrian but did not mean to seriously injure or kill him.

After being stabbed Darrian ran from Rawnsley Park to Stapleton Road and knocked on the windows of several cars queuing at traffic lights in a bid to get someone to take him to hospital.

He eventually forced his way into the cab of a van being driven by a Bulgarian national with limited English.

The van's driver, Svetlozar Stanchev, tried to find a police station before driving to a Bulgarian supermarket where he knew the staff spoke English.

A group of friends, including Darrian, were approached by the two defendants in Rawnsley Park

Darrian spilled out onto the pavement outside the shop and its staff and other members of the public tried to perform first aid before the emergency services arrived.

Despite the efforts of paramedics, Darrian died on the pavement outside the supermarket on West Street, Old Market.

His mother rushed to the scene, the jury heard, but was unable to reach her son before he died.

Police searched the park and found a knife and a sheath containing DNA belonging to both Darrian and one of the defendants, the court was told.

Moments before the attack, it is believed there was a verbal confrontation in which the Bristol BS postcodes "1-6" and "2s" were exchanged, which are linked to gangs in the city, the court heard.

Throughout the trial no evidence was offered to suggest Darrian was linked to either group.

The court heard there was “background” to the offence, including an incident a few weeks earlier when Darrian was at a bus stop with a friend when he was approached by people in balaclavas asking him if he was a member of the 1-6 gang.

Darrian forced himself to a van before the driver parked outside a shop

One of the defendants said he started carrying a knife after an incident in a McDonald's restaurant in which a youth had been seen with a machete, six days before the attack on Darrian.

Trial judge Mr Justice Saini adjourned sentencing until 5 December for the preparation of pre-sentence reports, and remanded the teenagers in custody.

Addressing them, he said: “You have heard the verdict of the jury and you have both been found guilty of murder.

“Under the law I have to pass a life sentence upon you. I have to decide the minimum term before you can apply for parole.”

Addressing Darrian’s family, the judge added: “There are no winners at the end of this case.

"I know it is an unimaginable loss.”

Det Insp Neil Meade, who led the investigation into Darrian's death, said he had turned 16 just days before the attack, adding "like any teenage boys" he and his friends had been "climbing trees and playfighting with sticks" when Darrian was "set upon".

He paid tribute to the "incredible courageousness" shown by the family, adding it had been "a complex and difficult investigation" involving dozens of officers.

"No good can come of the decision to carry a knife and there is no place for it in our communities," he said.

"It's had a devastating impact on far too many young people and families.

"However, we know this isn't something we can police our way out of. We continue to work very closely with our partners to identify the root causes of knife crime and to educate children and young adults about the dangers of knife crime."