A teenager was jailed for 13 years today for stabbing a schoolboy to death a month after he was sent on ‘a knife awareness course.’
Walker Sesay, 19, was sentenced for stabbing Che Labastide-Wellington, 17, through the heart outside of a 16-year-old girl's birthday party on November 7, 2015, in Harrow, northwest London.He seems to have learned something then, at least!
This is the trial featured here. We now learn that it was 'a feud between neighbouring estates in north-west London' and not just a birthday party gatecrashed by gangs, as first reported.
Sesay and six co-defendants were acquitted of murder by a jury after 42 hours and 24 minutes’ deliberations.
But Sesay alone was found guilty of manslaughter.Why was joint enterprise not considered?
I'm guessing because the CPS thought that it would be difficult to secure a conviction. They were probably right.
ReplyDeleteIt is the heart of the jury system; if 12 noddles think that running at someone with a knife you are carrying for that purpose does not disclose murderous intent, then they can convict on the lesser count of manslaughter.
Whether they will still feel that way when it is them or their children being run at by a howling gangster with a shiv is an interesting question but it will be too late by then.
From what I understand, the youth (with a good, old-fashioned English name) who was stabbed was himself holding a knife as he rushed towards another knife wielding youth (also with a traditionally English name). It would not be difficult for a plea of self defence to be accepted. Hence the sentence for manslaughter. There would be no joint charges unless there was an element of incitement or aiding and abetting, something which, even if introduced, would be difficult to prove.
ReplyDeleteThe main problem seems to be that people with a more recent tribal tradition than most of us, find it difficult to discard knives or spears, probably fearful that North London is full of tigers, lions, and hyenas. Let us just hope he did not breed before popping his clogs.
Penseivat
Weep for London.
ReplyDelete"Whether they will still feel that way when it is them or their children being run at by a howling gangster with a shiv is an interesting question but it will be too late by then."
ReplyDeleteSadly true.
"...probably fearful that North London is full of tigers, lions, and hyenas. "
I think I'd feel safer if it were...
"Weep for London."
And Berlin.
Joint Enterprise was probably left alone because a few unfavourable results in court mean the CPS won't try again for years- remember, only try absolute shoe-in charges that make the CPS look good in the statistics..
ReplyDelete