Three guilty of killing boy in ‘senseless’ attack with Rambo-style knife

Old Bailey hears victim turned up for ‘a little scrap’ but his attackers had brought blades

Anas Mezenner, described as a ‘quiet and humble’ boy who dreamt of being a pilot, died in January (SWNS)

A teenager has been found guilty of murdering a boy who was fatally stabbed with a Rambo-style knife during a fight about a mobile phone.

Anas Mezenner, 17, died from a 15cm deep wound to the buttocks following a stand-off between two groups in Haringey, north London, on 19 January, the Old Bailey heard.

Anas expected a "little scrap" over a friend's missing phone but it escalated when it emerged at least three of the opposing group had armed themselves with large knives, jurors were told.

The 17-year-old boy who inflicted the fatal injury had dozens of videos on his mobile phone featuring play-fighting and posing with large blades.

While on remand awaiting trial he also let slip in a recorded phone call that he had wanted "my first little juice [blood] on my blade".

During his Old Bailey trial, he admitted stabbing Anas but claimed it was self-defence.

He also indicated where he had stashed the weapon – a large Rambo-style knife – near bins on a local estate.

Two other 17-year-olds and a boy aged 14 admitted being nearby when the killing took place but denied involvement in the pre-arranged meeting.

A jury deliberated for 12 hours to find the teenager who inflicted the fatal blow guilty of murder, while his two 17-year-old co-defendants were convicted of manslaughter.

The murderer was further convicted of wounding with intent against one of Anas's friends, and another 17-year-old was convicted of a lesser charge of unlawful wounding of the same boy.

The 14-year-old was acquitted of both murder and manslaughter, and of any attack against the second victim.

Judge Sarah Munro QC adjourned sentencing until 30 September to allow for pre-sentence reports to be prepared.

During the trial, prosecutor Tom Little QC called the murder “senseless”, and alleged that the defendants "lived by the knife and they were willing to kill with knives".

The court also heard that the murderer, while in prison awaiting trial, referred to what he had done in a phone call. He said: "Just wanted my first little chinging you get it, my first little juice [blood] on my blade. It's just gone in my man's a**e ... The whole 15 went in down his a**e."

Phone videos and an arranged fight

Earlier on the day of the stabbing, the 17-year-old with the knife had been filmed waving two large blades around in front of the others, jurors were told.

Shortly after 7.30pm, the victim and three friends went to Willow Walk in Haringey where they stayed for several minutes.

They returned to the quiet residential area 90 minutes later and engaged in a "stand-off" with the defendants, who had arrived five minutes prior.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage which allegedly showed that words were exchanged before the victim and his friends fled.

Shortly after, Anas re-appeared on CCTV touching the area of his buttock where he was stabbed. Jurors heard he made a 999 call on his mobile phone before he collapsed.

Anas was found by police slumped against railings and taken to hospital, where he died the next day. A post-mortem examination found a 15cm-deep stab wound to the left buttock was the fatal wound, though he also suffered cuts and bruises and two fractured teeth.

Following his death, Anas's three friends were interviewed to by police.

Mr Little rejected a claim they had been in Willow Walk to record a video as "plainly not correct".

Another reason given for the confrontation was that the people who had taken a phone belonging to one of the friends would be there, jurors heard.

One of Anas's friends told police the idea was to have "a little scrap" but that one attacker turned up with a Rambo knife and two others had "bigger ones".

He told officers that Anas had a hammer in his backpack, although it was not suggested he ever removed it.

Anas's injured friend told police that one of the attackers had shouted "sauce [stab] him". As he ran away he felt one of them "poke him" in the back, and he later wondered whether they had been "set up" or ambushed, the court was told.

The other friend said the opposing group pulled out knives, one with a blade some 20in long.

Jurors heard police recovered two knives from a Chrysler Voyager parked nearby which was allegedly linked to some of the defendants.

The car keys and a large knife were found at the home of one of the accused teenagers, jurors heard.

Additional reporting by Press Association