Four teenagers have been found guilty of killing a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed in the chest in what prosecutors described as a “cowardly” revenge attack in Manchester.
Kennie Carter died after he was attacked as he walked home near Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium on 22 January 2022.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named because of his age, admitted fatally stabbing Kennie but claimed he had acted in self-defence.
He was found guilty of murder while three others, two aged 16, were convicted of manslaughter after a six-week trial at Manchester crown court.
The four were among 10 boys charged with Kennie’s murder under the contentious legal doctrine of joint enterprise. Six were found not guilty of either murder or manslaughter.
Critics of joint enterprise cases argue they are used to convict multiple people with the crime of another, even if they played no active role.
Kennie, whose family described him as a “cheeky chappy”, died after being stabbed in the chest as he walked home in Stretford, Manchester, on 22 January 2022. The trial was told the teenager was attacked in an act of revenge after an incident the previous day.
Carter was on the phone to his older brother at the time of the attack and told him: “They’ve stabbed me in my heart bro.” Greater Manchester police later described the stabbing as “cowardly”.
One of the 10 defendants, who can only be named as Boy A, admitted dealing the fatal blow but claimed it was in self-defence.
The teenager, who was 14 at the time, argued that Carter had produced the knife – a claim the prosecution denied.
Jurors were told they could find each of the 10 defendants guilty of either murder or manslaughter, although there was no evidence that any of the other nine had any weapons, or played any active role in the killing at all.
Three of the boys said they were around the corner on another street and so did not witness the events.
After deliberating for more than 52 hours, the jury found Boy A guilty of murder and another defendant, Latif Ferguson, 18, guilty of manslaughter.
They found two other boys, who were aged 14 at the time, guilty of manslaughter. The four will be sentenced on 26 July.
The trial is likely to reignite scrutiny over the use of joint enterprise cases in the UK.
Critics have argued that children do not have the same ability to foresee events, or fully understand their consequences of actions, in the way most adults do.
Official figures show such cases are disproportionately used against boys and young men from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.
Roxy Legane, of the anti-racist youth work organisation Kids of Colour, said the case was another example of the “horrors” of joint enterprise.
She said: “There is so much sadness in these cases. A young person’s life may be taken and then the injustice system responds with even more violence through the cruel punishment practices we see taking place in Manchester.
“Young people who have harmed often take responsibility in the court, but the prosecution refuses to stop there. In these cases, the CPS has a growing commitment to punishing and locking up children who have never harmed, and that is devastating our communities.”
In a statement released after the verdicts, Kennie’s mother, Joan Dixon, said life for the family was “stuck on the day Kennie was killed” and would “never ever be the same”.
Dixon said the teenager “brightened up every day with his cheeky smile and his bubbly personality”, adding that he was “always acting daft, telling jokes and generally being a 16-year-old boy”.
She added: “He was our baby, the youngest of our four children, and just starting out in life. He had so many plans for his future, he was about to start applying for college, wanting to design artwork on cars.
“He was a very talented artist; I hadn’t realised how artistic he was until one of his teachers showed us his drawings and they were genuinely impressive.
“Life since the day of his murder has not been the same. We all miss Kennie so much; every day I wake up thinking of him, I dream about him regularly.”
DCI Nicola McCulloch, of Greater Manchester police, said of the teenager’s family: “It’s been nearly two and a half years since Kennie was taken from them in this spiteful attack, and it has been extremely difficult for them in court.
“They’ve had to watch and listen to Kennie’s last moments many times; something no family should have to experience.
“This case serves as a sobering reminder of the destruction carrying and using knives can cause. Not only has one boy lost his life, but since that tragic evening many more have been irreversibly impacted.”
