Charlie Kutyauripo murder: Jury pleads for teenager who stabbed friend to get lenient sentence

A jury has pleaded with a judge for leniency as they convicted a 17-year-old boy of stabbing a friend to death at a birthday party.

The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty at the Old Bailey on Friday of the murder of Charlie Kutyauripo, 16, following a retrial.

In a rare move, the jury sent a note to Judge Rebecca Poulet to "recommend the defendant to leniency" before delivering its unanimous verdict.

The judge thanked them for the care they had taken in what she described as a very "sad" case before adjourning sentencing to Wednesday, January 25.

The court had heard that Charlie had collapsed and died shortly after he was attacked outside a party venue in east London on January 9 last year.

The incident was captured on CCTV and witnessed by several young revellers who had been at the sports centre in Woodford.

Prosecutor Louis Mably told jurors that by the time police arrived that Saturday night, there were around 100 youngsters aged between 14 and 17 outside the centre.

Charlie was taken to Whipps Cross Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

A post-mortem examination showed he had been stabbed twice with a 6in blade, with the fatal wound struck with severe force into his heart, the court heard.

A kitchen knife was found by police discarded near the scene with Charlie's blood on it and the defendant's DNA on the handle, Mr Mably said.

The defendant had fled London but was found around three weeks later lying low in the Kent seaside town of Margate.

The court heard how the two boys had been friends but fell out around the end of 2015 in a petty row over a tracksuit the defendant had taken and not given back to Charlie.

Both victim and defendant had been expelled from school for fighting and Charlie had got in trouble with police over a robbery.

Giving evidence, the defendant claimed he had acted in self-defence, saying Charlie was a member of the Hainault gang, which was after him for breaking the heart of a girl called Jeanette.

On the night of the stabbing, the boy said he armed himself because he was expecting gang members to be at the party, even though it was an invite-only, no-alcohol event with parents manning the doors.

The defendant said he got out the knife believing Charlie also had a blade, but none was found.

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But Detective Inspector Jamie Stevenson, from the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command, said after the verdict: "The defendant made a number of choices that night, which have resulted in today's guilty verdict.

"He chose to go to the party that night and he chose to go armed with a large kitchen knife. That shows he was looking for, or expecting trouble, and if and when that trouble came he would use his knife."

"At 17 years old he is now a convicted murderer, who has shown no remorse for taking Charlie's life," he said.

"He immediately went on the run to try and evade the police and still to date has not admitted murdering Charlie or explained why.

"In fact he has tried to blame Charlie, claiming he acted in self-defence. I hope that today's verdict can bring some answers to Charlie's family."

Additional reporting by the Press Association.