'Former girlfriend was used to lure Shakilus to death at hands of gang'

Shakilus Townsend was stabbed and beaten to death in south London by a gang of six masked and hooded youths.

It is believed the 16-year-old was lured to a secluded spot outside the block of flats in Thornton Heath as part of a honeytrap.

Shakilus's friends today revealed to the Standard that the 16-year-old girl, who is mixed race and has long hair, was the victim's ex-girlfriend.

She is one of a group of five people being questioned over the murder. The others are three teenage boys, aged 16, 17, and 18, and a 22-year-old man.

The girl, who once lived in the Thornton Heath flats where Shakilus was attacked, now lives in Brockley and has been expelled from school.

It is understood she sent a text message asking Shakilus to meet her alone and that he agreed because he still had feelings for her. The victim, who was part of a gang himself, was knifed to death after agreeing to the meeting.

It also emerged today that Shakilus had asked his best friend to accompany him to the meeting but had gone alone after his friend "didn't have time".

Today the friend told the Standard that he blames himself for not protecting Shakilus.

The 16-year-old, who did not want to be named, said: "I should have been there with him. He was my best friend and he asked me to go with him. I didn't because I had something else I needed to do.

"I'm angry with myself because I should have been there. I could have stopped his death. I know who the girl is and I know that Shak used to go out with her, he must have liked her to go." Shakilus begged to see his mother as he lay dying after being chased, knocked to the ground and stabbed by the gang. He later died in a south London hospital - becoming the 18th teenager to be killed in London this year.

The news comes as pictures of Shakilus holding a knife and a gun emerged on a social networking site. On one web posting a friend called YungahJKid wrote: " Remember u set up Shak you bitch. and he luved yooooh. You iz f****d."

One tribute said: "There's no point of people saying u were this good boy because we no u weren't but you were trying to change and i know this."

As detectives began questioning the five in custody, Shakilus's family, including his father Derek, and friends gathered to lay flowers at the murder scene.