A teenage couple who sealed a murder with a kiss a

A teenage couple who sealed a murder with a kiss after throwing a promising law student into the Thames are facing life sentences with four other gang members.

The six sadistic thugs drowned Timothy Baxter, 24, ‘for fun’ after brutally mugging him on the Hungerford Bridge.

Minutes later two of the giggling killers, a 14-year-old boy and his 16-year-old girlfriend, were caught on CCTV in a romantic embrace.

A trial lasting more than two months heard how the sickening bout of violence spiralled out of control as the savage mob beat Mr Baxter and his best friend Gabriel Cornish, 25, unconscious on the bridge.

The girl was heard to say it would be ‘fun’ to throw them into the river and she screamed ‘do it, do it’ as the grinning killers lifted the pair over the parapet.

As they casually left the terrible scene behind them one of the murderers, Sonni Reid, hummed along to the tune of the 1990s hit record ‘Murder She Wrote.

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Just 30 minutes later CCTV at Waterloo International railway station caught the girl, the 14-year-old and Cameron Cyrus, 19, laughing hysterically.

The 14-year-old and the girl then kissed.

Police mounted a desperate search and Mr Cornish, a music student, was plucked alive from the river.

But Mr Baxter, a Manchester University graduate who had just gained a place at the London College of Law, was swept to his death.

His body was found the next day on the south shore between Waterloo and Blackfriars Bridge.

After a nine-week trial the jury of six men and six women convicted the six of murdering Mr Baxter and attempting to murder Mr Cornish.

John Riches, 22, Sonni Reid, 20, both of no fixed address, a 17-year-old boy from Walworth, southeast London, the 16-year-old girl from Upper Norwood, se London, and her boyfriend, who is now 15, from Woolwich, denied the charges.

Reid and Riches, were further convicted of attempting to rob the pair.

Riches was also found guilty of theft and assault causing actual bodily harm in respect of a young man he and the 17-year-old mugged minutes after the bridge attack.

The 17-year-old was also found guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm.

The defendants showed mixed emotions to the verdicts, some sobbing and some putting their heads in their hands.

Judge Anne Goddard, QC, who ruled that those under the age of 18 are still covered by the Children and Young Persons Act, 1939, will pass sentence at a later date.

At the time of his death Mr Baxter, known by parents as Timo, was living in Dulwich, after moving away from his family in Wales.

Mr Cornish, a music student, was an old schoolmate of Mr Baxter, and they spent the night of June 17 last year drinking with friends.

In the early hours of the morning, as they made their way to Mr Cornish’s flat at the Oxo Tower, their paths crossed with Reid, Riches and 17-year-old on the footway of the Hungerford railway bridge.

The trio demanded cash from Mr Baxter and Mr Cornish, threatening to throw them into the water if they refused.

Mr Cornish called for help from a second group on the bridge – but they turned out to be Cyrus, the 15-year-old boy and the girl.

The students were then knocked unconscious by a flurry of punches, kicks and heat-butts.

The pair were even beaten with Mr Baxter’s skateboard.

The horrific violence meted out by the savage killers was chillingly described in an emergency police statement from Riches while efforts were still being made to fish the pair out of the water.

He told police he could hear Mr Baxter’s head ‘banging on the bridge’ as his cohorts stamped on him.

He said there were cheers of ”Come on! Let’s chuck him in – it would be funny to chuck him over.

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Riches said his pals then picked Mr Baxter up, and sat him on the side of the bridge.

‘He was just wriggling his feet.

He was asking them: ‘Do not do this.

‘ I just wanted to walk away.

He was screaming.

‘They just picked him up, just holding him on the ledge of the bridge.

I just see him drop down.

I see him go over.

I see him in the water – he just went under the water.

He went under the water and went under the bridge.

‘They kept on laughing and just picked up the other one.

I didn’t want to look no more and I see him go over and I looked away.

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Mr Cornish was swept along towards Westminster Bridge, by which time he had regained consciousness and called for help.

After the incident Cyrus, the 15-year-old and his girlfriend made their way to Waterloo Station to catch a train home.

But Reid, Riches and the 17-year-old crossed back over to Villiers Street alongside Charing Cross Station and viciously robbed a third man, 21-year-old Matt Reynolds of his wallet, lighter, and mobile phone.

The six were arrested over the following few days, and gave different accounts from each other when interviewed by police as they sought to lay the blame on eachother.

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