Teenager jailed for life over 'ferocious' gang murder of 14-year-old Jaden Moodie

The teenager who was found guilty of the “ferocious” gang murder of 14-year-old Jaden Moodie was jailed for life on Wednesday.

Ayoub Majdouline, 19, will have to serve a minimum term of 21 years for the killing.

Jaden became the year's youngest victim of gang crime when he was knocked off a scooter and stabbed to death in Leyton, east London, on January 8.

The murder was caught on graphic CCTV, which was shown during the trial.

Teenage drug dealer Majdouline was one of five Mali Boy gang members who had set out in a stolen Mercedes into rival Beaumont Crew territory in what became a “killing mission”.

When they came across Jaden dealing drugs on a scooter, they crashed into him and "butchered" him as he lay defenceless on the ground.

Jaden suffered nine stab wounds and bled to death in the road as the attackers ran back to the car and sped off, the court heard.

A knife and yellow rubber gloves with Jaden's blood and Majdouline's DNA on them were recovered from a drain the next day, the court heard.

Police also found Majdouline's Nike Air Max trainers among clothes that had been burned in a churchyard.

Majdouline, from Wembley, north-west London, admitted dealing drugs for the Mali Boys, and carrying knives, but denied being present during the fatal attack.

After a troubled upbringing, the defendant, who had an Irish mother and Moroccan father, turned to county lines dealing "to survive", he said.

Three years after the murder of his father, Majdouline was identified by the National Crime Agency as a victim of "modern slavery”.

Judge Richard Marks QC said during sentencing Jaden had been associated by the rival Beaumont Crew gang, but “he did not deserve to die”.

He said: “I cannot ignore the evidence about his drug and other criminal-related history.

“That he became so involved starting at the age of 13 is truly shocking but none of that means he deserved to die, still less in the circumstances in which he did.”

On Majdouline’s troubled background, he said: “Your life has, through no fault of your own, been blighted by huge personal difficulty from a young age.”

James Scobie QC, mitigating for Majdouline, added whether or not the attackers set out on a “killing mission”, that was what it turned out to be when they came across Jaden.

Jurors also learned that Jaden had been in trouble with police since he was 13. His mother had sent him to stay in east London after a gang in Nottingham made threats.

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He had been caught with a Rambo knife and cannabis, and appeared in a Snapchat video with an imitation gun.

Following Majdouline's conviction, Jaden's mother Jada Bailey described her son's killers as “cowards".

In an interview with ITV News London, she said: "When they were killing him they could see he was a child.

"So I've got no sympathy and no words. They were cowards. He killed a child. He's a child killer."

Majdouline was found guilty of Jaden’s murder and having a blade at the Old Bailey last week.

He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years plus 18 months to run concurrently.