NWOGBE:FIVE TEENS CLEARED OF MURDERING BOY AT VICTORIA STATION

Five teenagers were today (Weds) cleared of murdering a 15-year-old boy who was stabbed to death at London’s Victoria Station.

Sofyen Belamouadden was attacked in the tube station ticket hall after being chased by a 20-strong gang of youths, the Old Bailey has heard.

The teenager was pushed down a set of steps and surrounded before being knifed repeatedly in a ‘brutal and merciless’ assault, in front of horrified commuters.

Seven youths Jason Nwogbe, Chris Goncalves, Tayo Ajayi, Samson Odegbune and Faruq Adeniji, all 18, and a 17 year-old and a 16-year-old who cannot be named, went on trial in May in the second of three cases involving 20 youths.

Today Nwogbe, Ajayi, Adeniji and the two youths were all cleared of murder on the direction of Judge Christopher Moss QC, after the close of the prosecution case.

All seven continue to face conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and violent disorder in relation to the attack on Sofyen on March 25 last year.

Announcing his decision, Judge Moss told the jury: ‘In your absence over the last few days I have been hearing submissions of law and I have determined as a matter of law that there is no case to answer as far as [the 16 year-old], Adeniji, Nwogbe, Ajayi and [the 17 year-old] on count two, that is the count of murder.’

The defendants are now set to give evidence in their defence.

Jurors have heard that Sofyen’s killing had been sparked by a trivial row between two groups of youths at the railway station the previous day.

One boy from the attacking group, who use the station to travel to and from school in Ladbroke Grove, suffered a bloody nose.

As a result plans were made to bring and buy weapons to a confrontation the next day.

In his opening address Mr Heywood said plans were made on Facebook and using mobile phones and all 20 of those charged were at the station the following day.

‘Between them they were heavily armed with a range of knives and other weapons, including a whole set of kitchen knives purchased that very afternoon by two of the students,’ said the prosecutor.

At 5.17pm Sofyen and his friends were confronted and chased by the 20-strong group, but only a handful of them followed him in to the ticket hall where he was knocked to the ground and attacked.

Sofyen, a pupil at Henry Compton School, in Fulham, had just started year 10.

Nwogbe, of Oppenheim Road, Blackheath, Goncalves, of Island Road, Bermondsey, Ajayi, of Mayhew Court, Denmark Hill Estate, Adeniji, Odegbune and the two 16 year-olds, all from south London, deny conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and violent disorder. 

Odegbune denies murder.

The trial continues.

Ends