Thirteen-year-old boy pleads guilty to murder of Christopher Barry in Edmonton last year

Mr Barry was stabbed after youths tried to gain entry to a party

Christopher Barry, 53 (PA)

A 13-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to the murder of a 53-year-old man in North London last year.

Christopher Barry was killed last December after a gang of youths tried to get into a party at a block of flats in Edmonton, in the borough of Enfield.

The boy’s trial was at the Old Bailey today.

Mr Barry was stabbed outside his own home following a "verbal altercation" on Sunday December 13, according to police.

The area at the entrance of the flats was sealed off while forensic experts examined the entry system (PA)

A post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be a stab wound to the chest.

A group of youths had reportedly been attempting to gain access to a party held at another address in the same block.

Ambulance crews were called to the stabbing but Mr Barry was pronounced dead at the scene.

The child cannot be named for legal reasons.

When asked to confirm his name in court he replied "Erm ... yes," according to the AP news agency.

Mr Barry, a construction worker originally from Cobh, County Cork, Ireland, was not known to his killer, police said at the time.

The judge presiding over the trial ordered a pre-sentence report ahead of sentencing, which is set for April 10.