Man guilty of killing boy, 16, in front of mother

Camron Smith was stabbed to death in front of his mother in her bedroom

A man has been found guilty of killing a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in front of his mother in her bedroom in south London.

Romario Gordon, 22, was part of a group armed with knives who were "effectively hunting as a pack" as they searched for Camron Smith, the Old Bailey heard.

Jurors were told that Audrey Johnson desperately tried to protect her son when they kicked down the door on 1 July 2021, and tried to grab from one of the attackers' large black zombie knife with a serrated, curved 16-inch (40cm) blade.

On Thursday, Gordon was found guilty of manslaughter. He was the fourth person to be convicted for their part in Camron's death.

Romario Gordon was found guilty of manslaughter

The court heard how the masked group entered two other properties in Bracken Avenue, Croydon, before kicking down the door of Camron's home and forcing their way in.

After a struggle downstairs, they chased Camron upstairs to a bedroom where he attempted to barricade himself and his mother inside.

Jurors heard that Ms Johnson stood, arms outstretched, in between her son and the group in an attempt to stop them.

But within minutes, Camron had been surrounded and was fatally stabbed. He was unarmed and dressed in his underwear.

Gordon, who was 17 at the time, was later seen on CCTV fleeing from the stolen taxi and disposing of a large machete in an adjacent road.

The trial heard he had left the country two days after the killing, fleeing to The Gambia, before he could be identified and arrested.

The Met issued an international arrest warrant and he was returned to the UK in August 2023.

Following the conviction, Gordon was remanded into custody to be sentenced at a later date.

At a previous trial, Romain La Pierre, 22, was found guilty of murder and robbery and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 28 years.

James Olanipekun, 19, was convicted of robbery and manslaughter and jailed for eight years while Jordan Tcheuko, 21, was convicted of manslaughter and jailed for 15 years.