Talented student with a dream: to join a Triad

As a straight A-grade student at the prestigious Latymer School in north London, Jerome Castrillo appeared to have all the right credentials for a career in any field he chose.

But while his classmates dreamt of becoming doctors or barristers, Castrillo, 17, had only one ambition – to rise through the ranks of the Wo Shing Wo, a Chinese Triad gang that has spread its tentacles from the streets of Hong Kong to the playgrounds of London. This week, Castrillo, now 18, was convicted at the Old Bailey of the manslaughter of a former gangland kingpin, Michael McGrath, 57. Castrillo and three other men beat him to death after they claimed he had failed to pay back a £800 debt to the gang.

Now, following Castrillo's conviction, police are warning that groups like the Wo Shing Wo are actively recruiting teenagers at schools across the capital, using the lure of sex and alcohol as an incentive. Detective Inspector Bob Campany, of the Metropolitan Police's homicide and serious crime directorate, said: "The Triads are quite happy to recruit those who can be easily led, but they also go for intelligent, well brought-up kids with a bright future ahead of them."

Castrillo was a middle-class teenager living with his parents and two younger brothers in Enfield. He was studying for A-levels in maths, history and media studies after gaining nine A or A*-grade GCSEs. But in September 2006, just four months after achieving those grades, Castrillo was approached by a group of boys in the year above him who asked him to join the gang. Opening the prosecution case against him last month, Crispin Aylett, QC, said: "Boys in the upper-sixth had said that if you joined, you would be invited to parties where there would be girls and free drinks."

A chat-log on Castrillo's computer recorded a conversation he had with a friend which posed the question: "Du u wanna join SW? U basicali jus go up central 2 sum restaurant... it aint sum lil street gang... itz organised shit."

Police sources are keen to stress that Castrillo was a willing participant and chose to join the Wo Shing Wo, later telling officers that he wanted to become a "dailo" – a respected head boss in the organisation.

After being approached, in July 2007 Castrillo visited the China City restaurant in London's Chinatown, where he met Yu Xiang Liu, 25, one of his co-accused and the Wo Shing Wo dailo. He was initiated into the gang but told the court he later regretted that decision and had only joined after being promised girls, parties and free Chinese food. In November 2007, he and Liu went with Ryan Parker-Saunders, 23, a drug dealer, and a Malaysian man, Wei Leong, 21, to visit Mr McGrath in Carshalton, Surrey. They beat him up and smashed a vase over his head. The four were arrested between December 2007 and March 2008, the court heard. Liu, of Soho, Parker-Saunders, of West Norwood, and Leong, from Haringey, were all convicted of murder. The men will be sentenced on 22 December.