A 17-year-old boy has been jailed for life for murdering teenager Deshaun James-Tuitt.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons was previously found guilty on Wednesday, 5 February following a trial at the Old Bailey.
On Friday, 25 April, a judge at the same court jailed the teenager for life, with a minimum term of 15 years in prison.
Just before 21:00hrs on Thursday, 4 August 2022, officers encountered the victim in Highbury Fields, Islington. He ran towards them, saying: “Officer, I’ve been stabbed."
Despite the efforts of emergency services to save him, Deshaun, 15 died in hospital later that night.
Deshaun James-Tuitt
On the night he died, Deshaun had been at a birthday celebration at Highbury Fields with a large group of friends.
The defendant - then aged 15 - travelled with a group of boys to the park on public transport. He wore a face covering, and was armed with a knife. His journey was documented on CCTV footage obtained by investigating officers.
The defendant was seen robbing people in the park, resulting in an argument between him and Deshaun. The boy then stabbed Deshaun before running from the scene. A murder investigation was launched within Met Police’s Specialist Crime Command.
Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke, of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: “We carried out extensive CCTV enquiries in a bid to identify the youth who had travelled to Highbury Fields that night. Identifying him was a long and complex task."
“The boy was arrested on Wednesday, 10 August, 2022. A mobile phone was forensically downloaded and investigators recovered a chat from 8 August 2022, where he spoke of stabbing ‘Huntz’ - Deshaun's nickname.
DCI Yorke added: “The boy denied stabbing Deshaun, but it was clear that he had travelled to Highbury Fields that night, with a covered face, armed and looking for trouble.
“There is no verdict that can give Deshaun back to his family. I sincerely hope that they find some comfort in today’s verdicts – my thoughts are with them.”
The maternal side of Deshaun's family said: “He [the victim] was my firstborn, and he would have been 18 years old. All my friends that I went to school with have their firstborn children - except me. To the person involved in the stabbing and taking his life: he didn’t deserve to die like that. I had a mental breakdown, and I will never be able to get over this.
"I want you to know that Deshaun was a son, a brother, a grandson, a great grandson, a nephew and a cousin to so many on both sides of the family, so I want you to realise that he was a valuable member of our family. We won’t forgive or forget.
"Deshaun, you can now rest in peace. Hopefully, justice will be served. Not only is Deshaun’s life lost, they who have done the crime will serve the time.”