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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Kit Heren

Teenager who lured victim to his death by Snapchat found guilty of murder

Police at the scene in Byford Close (Picture: PA)

A teenager who lured in a 15-year-old boy on Snapchat before stabbing him to death has been found guilty of murder.

Michael Irving was killed by two teenage boys in Stratford, east London in September last year.

They stabbed him four times including once in the heart, the Old Bailey heard.

A 16-year-old was found guilty on Friday at the Old Bailey. Another teenager admitted to taking part in the murder earlier this year.

Murder victim Michael Irving (Metropolitan Police)

Jurors heard that a possible motive was an allegation that Michael had touched one of the killers' sisters in a sexual way.

But Michael's mother told the court that Michael denied touching the girl.

The two boys arranged to meet Michael via Snapchat in the early evening of September 3.

He appeared happy to see them, a friend of Michael's who saw them said.

The 16-year-old defendant denied killing Michael but said he had been at the scene of the crime.

But prosecutor Hugh Davies QC told jurors that even if the boy hadn't stabbed Michael himself, the killing was a "classic joint enterprise" case.

The joint enterprise law means people can be convicted of murder if they were there - even if they didn't inflict the fatal blow.

The two boys will be sentenced on April 17.

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