Two teenage boys have been jailed for life today, for their role in the murder of Prince Walker-Ayeni (pictured) in April.
A 16-year-old boy from Rusholme was sentenced to a minimum term of 15 years in prison and a 16-year-old boy from Whalley Range is required to serve eight years and six months.
Prince (17) sustained three fatal stab wounds – two to this thigh and one to his chest – in Moss Side, on Thursday, April 4.
The court heard how two groups, one made up of the two defendants and the other being Prince and a friend met on Raby Street in Moss Side, and within moments an altercation took place.
Both groups were throwing punches at each other, before the confrontation came to an end. But the violence did not conclude there.
Prince and his friend leave, but they are followed closely behind by Boy ‘1’ and Boy ‘2’ who are intent on causing some serious harm.
Less than 45 seconds after the initial confrontation ended, Prince Walker-Ayeni had been stabbed and left to die on the street.
CCTV footage sees Boy 1 and 2 running from the scene with one of them being heard to say ‘you better dash that quick’ in relation to the weapon that had just inflicted the fatal blows to Prince.
A member of the public called the police at 4.10pm and the boy was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary by emergency services, where he died, just over an hour later.
A woman (aged 44) from Manchester received a 9-month suspended sentence for perverting the course of justice for her role during the incident, after she was asked to ‘get rid’ of a sim card that had been hidden and hampering the investigation further by misleading officers as to the ownership of an iPhone and sim card.
Detective chief inspector Neil Higginson said: “Firstly, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Prince’s family and friends. They have shown undeniable togetherness in the face of adversity, they have carried themselves with dignity and respect throughout the course of this investigation and subsequent trial.
“Sadly, over the past few years, we have seen many instances like this where a young boy in his teenage years has lost his life.
“Prince’s death is another hard-hitting reminder of the devastating effect that carrying knives can have, not only has one boy lost his life but the impact of this incident has left a family scarred, something that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
“I would like to thank the local community and the general public who came forward and provided statements which aided our enquiries. My team also deserve a huge amount of credit for their hard work and dedication throughout this investigation.”
