Girl, 14, had footballer stabbed to death by her boyfriend after he told her off for walking on pitch where he was playing
A 14-year-old who ordered her boyfriend to stab a schoolboy for 'disrespecting' her was locked up for eight years yesterday.
Cherelle McKenzie-Jackson scowled and sucked her teeth as she and Marc Anthony Tulloch, 17, were sentenced for the manslaughter of 15-year-old Junior Nkwelle.
Tulloch, who stabbed Junior through the heart, received a ten-year sentence.
The Old Bailey heard the attack took place last September, after McKenzie-Jackson was challenged for walking across a football pitch with friends during a match in which Junior was playing.
She claimed he had insulted her during the ensuing row, and then called Tulloch, ordering him to 'teach Junior a lesson'.
McKenzie-Jackson went home to fetch a kitchen knife, before returning to the scene in Brixton, south London. When Tulloch arrived, he stabbed Junior once, piercing his heart and lung.
The youngster collapsed yards from his
home, and was pronounced dead an hour later. Prosecutor Jonathan Turner
QC said the row between the teenagers 'was stupid and trivial and
completely unnecessary'.
He added: '[McKenzie-Jackson] thought that Junior had insulted her or been less than respectful to her. She was very angry and determined that he should be punished – indeed stabbed – to put things right.
'She called up her boyfriend and was heard to tell Junior that she had arranged for somebody to come and stab him.'
Judge Richard Hone QC lifted an order banning identification of the killers, in the hope that their sentencing would act as a deterrent.
'I bear in mind the public interest in the reduction of knife crime, rightly regarded as the scourge of our cities,' he said. 'These are very grave offences.'
The killers were cleared of murder last month, but found guilty of manslaughter.
A jury rejected the claim that Junior's stabbing was an act of self-defence, with Judge Hone stating: 'The CCTV evidence shows this is not a case where self-defence is a realistic possibility.'
He said he was confident that McKenzie-Jackson 'orchestrated the chain of events that led to Junior Nkwelle's tragic death', adding that she was only spared a longer sentence because of her age.
The court heard she was 'physically and behaviourally more mature' than most girls her age.
She was described as a known
troublemaker at school and at home, where she lived with a grandmother
who struggled to control her.
Judge Hone told her: 'You had a disturbed time [at school], exhibiting offensive behaviour and verbal abuse, and were involved in the physical assault of another girl during the summer holidays.
'You were unruly and disruptive. Your mother could not cope, so for that reason you were staying with your grandmother.'
Neither she nor Tulloch – who had been stabbed before, and whose brother was murdered – had previous criminal convictions.
Last night Junior's mother Stella Muma said she was still struggling to come to terms with her son's death.
She said: 'It doesn't make any sense to me. It happened so quickly and so close to our home.
'I didn't even know what was going on and I had no chance to help, or see him and say goodbye and tell him how much I love him.
'By the time I got to him my poor child had bled to death.
'I can only describe Junior as a kind, friendly boy who always had a smile on his face. He was a fantastic footballer and a great student who loved school. He was a good son and a wonderful companion, brother and role model to his younger brothers.'
Detective chief inspector Charles King said: 'This death illustrates the terrible consequences of the casual acceptance that knives have a part to play in minor disputes between young people.'
Cherelle McKenzie-Jackson scowled and sucked her teeth as she and Marc Anthony Tulloch, 17, were sentenced for the manslaughter of 15-year-old Junior Nkwelle.
Tulloch, who stabbed Junior through the heart, received a ten-year sentence.
The Old Bailey heard the attack took place last September, after McKenzie-Jackson was challenged for walking across a football pitch with friends during a match in which Junior was playing.
Stabbing: Cherelle McKenzie-Jackson, left,
telephoned her boyfriend Marc Anthony Tulloch, 17, right, and ordered
him to come and attack Junior Nkwelle
McKenzie-Jackson went home to fetch a kitchen knife, before returning to the scene in Brixton, south London. When Tulloch arrived, he stabbed Junior once, piercing his heart and lung.
Victim: Young footballer Junior Nkwelle who was stabbed in a row over a girl walking across a football pitch
He added: '[McKenzie-Jackson] thought that Junior had insulted her or been less than respectful to her. She was very angry and determined that he should be punished – indeed stabbed – to put things right.
'She called up her boyfriend and was heard to tell Junior that she had arranged for somebody to come and stab him.'
Judge Richard Hone QC lifted an order banning identification of the killers, in the hope that their sentencing would act as a deterrent.
'I bear in mind the public interest in the reduction of knife crime, rightly regarded as the scourge of our cities,' he said. 'These are very grave offences.'
The killers were cleared of murder last month, but found guilty of manslaughter.
A jury rejected the claim that Junior's stabbing was an act of self-defence, with Judge Hone stating: 'The CCTV evidence shows this is not a case where self-defence is a realistic possibility.'
He said he was confident that McKenzie-Jackson 'orchestrated the chain of events that led to Junior Nkwelle's tragic death', adding that she was only spared a longer sentence because of her age.
The court heard she was 'physically and behaviourally more mature' than most girls her age.
Victim: Junior Nkwelle, 15, who was stabbed
through the heart by Marc Anthony Tulloch on the Loughborough Estate in
Brixton, south London
Judge Hone told her: 'You had a disturbed time [at school], exhibiting offensive behaviour and verbal abuse, and were involved in the physical assault of another girl during the summer holidays.
'You were unruly and disruptive. Your mother could not cope, so for that reason you were staying with your grandmother.'
Neither she nor Tulloch – who had been stabbed before, and whose brother was murdered – had previous criminal convictions.
Last night Junior's mother Stella Muma said she was still struggling to come to terms with her son's death.
She said: 'It doesn't make any sense to me. It happened so quickly and so close to our home.
'I didn't even know what was going on and I had no chance to help, or see him and say goodbye and tell him how much I love him.
'By the time I got to him my poor child had bled to death.
'I can only describe Junior as a kind, friendly boy who always had a smile on his face. He was a fantastic footballer and a great student who loved school. He was a good son and a wonderful companion, brother and role model to his younger brothers.'
Detective chief inspector Charles King said: 'This death illustrates the terrible consequences of the casual acceptance that knives have a part to play in minor disputes between young people.'