Tottenham: Teen murdered 16-year-old while stealing his phone

Stelios Averkiou was 16 when he died after being stabbed in the leg during a mobile phone robbery

An 18-year-old robber has been found guilty of murder after stabbing a 16-year-old boy in the leg while stealing his mobile phone in north London.

Stelios Averkiou was sitting on a park bench with two friends when he was targeted by Kyi-Riece Sylvester, in Tottenham, in August last year.

Sylvester, 18, knifed him and ran off with the mobile phone, the Old Bailey was told.

A second 18-year-old, Leon Gruber, was cleared of murder and manslaughter.

The robbery and attack happened during the day at Lordship Recreation Park.

The pair on trial did not dispute they acted as a team when carrying out robberies, the court heard, but the jury had to decide whether Sylvester had meant to cause really serious harm and whether Mr Gruber had intentionally encouraged him.

'Met with resistance'

The trial heard that when the robbers "met with resistance from Stelios Averkiou, Sylvester stabbed him a number of times".

The jury was told 16-year-old Stelios had lost consciousness at the scene and did not awake before he died nine days later.

A post-mortem examination found his death was caused from blood loss after he sustained three stab wounds to the upper thigh, with one 16.5cm (6.5 inches) deep.

Sylvester, from Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, and Mr Gruber had both denied murder and an alternative offence of manslaughter.

Sylvester will be sentenced at a later date.

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