Kodjo Yenga, 16, stabbed in the heart in west London

 

Kodjo Yenga had reportedly been walking his Staffordshire bull terrier before he was chased by a gang of youths wearing school blazers, armed with sticks in Hammersmith Grove in west London on 14 March 2007. As they ran after the schoolboy, they chanted “kill him” before he was knifed in the heart and leg. He was taken to Charing Cross Hospital in a critical condition but died shortly after arrival. Kodjo was a student at St Charles Catholic Sixth Form College, North Kensington, London.

Describing the incident, a local resident and witness said: "I heard a lot of shouting and screaming, and a dog barking. I thought a girl was being attacked by a dog. I went outside and saw a crowd of about 10 kids chasing one boy along the road in and out of the cars. Some of them had armed themselves with three-foot wooden sticks from a skip. The boy was backing off, and had his arms up to protect himself while they were whacking him with the sticks.

"There were a couple of girls standing by the Grove pub, who were getting very excited, like they were enjoying the chase. They were all ganging up on that one poor lad, although he was quite big and seemed able to look after himself. They went further up the road, and I could see them throwing things at him as he was backing away from them. Two ladies in my street said some of the kids barged into them and they were really worried because one had a knife, so I called the police."

Eight teenagers have been charged with his murder including a 15-year-old who had previously appeared in court charged with intimidating a witness.