Levi Ernest-Morrison: Teenager jailed for gang machete killing

Levi Ernest-Morrison, shown with his younger brother, was chased by a gang armed with three machetes, a court heard

A boy who was 14 when he was part of a group who fatally stabbed another teenager in south London has been jailed for more than six years.

The Old Bailey heard the boy was recruited into the group, which chased and attacked Levi Ernest-Morrison, 17, in Sydenham on 10 April last year.

The boy pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Friday after a jury previously failed to reach a verdict on murder.

Following a trial last year, four other people were jailed over the killing.

The court heard the group, armed with a knife and three machetes, was driven to the scene by one of their mothers.

After the attack, which took just 30 seconds, the youths sprinted back to the waiting car and sped away.

'Truly grave' offence

The youngest member of the group, who is now 16, from Lewisham, was sentenced to six years and three months in custody, with a further five years on extended licence.

Judge Peter Rook told him this type of crime was a "truly grave" offence, "characterised by the use of lethal weapons".

"They are a further example of knife crime which has become the scourge of some of our cities," he added.

"From videos downloaded from mobile handsets and YouTube it is clear that this grave offence was committed in the context of gang rivalry."

The judge noted the devastating effect on the victim's family and also acknowledged the defendant had been identified as a victim of modern slavery and had suffered neglect in his childhood.

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