Two teenage boys accused of murdering a 14-year-old schoolboy on a bus in Woolwich are set to enter their pleas next month, the Old Bailey has heard.
The 16-year-olds are both charged with stabbing to death Kelyan Bokassa on board a Route 472 double-decker bus on Woolwich Church Road on January 7.
The suspected killers, who also face allegations of knife possession, appeared together in the dock at the Old Bailey on Monday.
Members of Kelyan’s family were in the well of the court for a hearing when the accused teenagers were expected to enter pleas.
But Judge Mark Lucraft KC, the Recorder of London, agreed to delay the moment until a hearing on May 23.
An earlier hearing was told Kelyan was allegedly attacked by machete-wielding youths who stabbed him “almost instantaneously” after spotting him on the bus.
The victim, an aspiring rapper, was stabbed around 27 times at just before 2.30pm and died at the scene.
Prosecutor Tom Little KC told the court the victim was sitting on the back seat of the bus on the upper deck when he was attacked.
“It is clear this is not a form of spontaneous incident. The two defendants must have known the deceased was on the bus”, he said.
“They approach him and almost instantaneously the two of them pull out machetes and attacked the deceased.
“He is stabbed or attempted to be stabbed on a total of 27 occasions.”
Both boys have been remanded in custody since being charged. They will be detained until the next court hearing.
A trial date has been set for October 13.
