A 15-year-old boy cried out “help” as he lay bleeding to death on the ground, having been fatally stabbed with a machete in a suspected drugs feud, the Old Bailey heard.
Daejaun Campbell died on a path in Woolwich, southeast London after being chased and then stabbed in the head and leg, it is said.
Prosecutor Mukul Chawla KC told the trial parts of the incident were caught on CCTV and doorbell cameras, while several eyewitnesses saw and heard the stabbing unfold.
One witness saw Daejaun being chased by another teenager who “made slashing motions towards the victim”, said the prosecutor.
“The victim screamed a number of times during the incident. The witness thought he might have been screaming ‘help’.”
Daejaun died after being stabbed on September 22 last year, in Eglington Road, Woolwich.
Three teenagers - Jacob Losiewicz, 18, Marko Balaz, 19, and a 17-year-old boy – are now on trial, accused of Daejaun’s murder.
The 17-year-old has already pleaded guilty to possession of a machete used to stab Daejaun.
“Daejaun Campbell was killed in Eglinton Road, Woolwich on 22 September 2024”, said Mr Chawla.
“He was just 15 years old.
“The prosecution case is that he was killed in an attack involving knives by these three defendants acting together.”
It is said they “targeted” Daejaun as he walked past the house they were in.
“Two defendants physically attacked Daejaun Campbell, while a third, Jacob Losiewicz, was in close proximity, providing encouragement by his presence, and also by providing shelter immediately after the attack.”
The court heard Daejaun is believed to have been carrying crack cocaine when he was stabbed, and he was also armed himself with a knife.
Mr Chawla said it is suspected Daejaun had been drawn into crime by a drugs gang, using him because of his young age.
“The reason for his killing cannot be established”, said the prosecutor.
“He did not live in the area of Eglinton Road, Woolwich although he appears to have become a more than occasional visitor to the area.
“Precisely what he was doing there on that Sunday cannot be conclusively established although it is clear that he had been carrying drugs, possibly crack cocaine, and money when he was attacked.
“He may therefore have been a person exploited, by reason of his age, to be used as a carrier and supplier of drugs. Organisations will use young people and other vulnerable people for those purposes. That may have been the reason why he was attacked although, as I say, the reason for his killing cannot be established.”
He also told the jury: “At the time when he was being attacked, he was carrying a large knife which, during the attack, he appears to have thrown at the attackers.
“The knife did not make contact with the attackers but appears to have hit a metal fence or railing and broken into a number of pieces.”
A couple say they saw two teenagers chasing Daejaun, shortly before a female voice cried out: “He’s been stabbed.”
Losiewicz, of Church Manor Road, Abbey Wood, Balaz, of Sewell Road, Abbey Wood, and the 17-year-old, from Woolwich, all deny murder.
The trial continues.
