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Wall of silence greets police hunting boy's knife killer
Felix Allen9 Sep 2009
A 15-year-old boy was stabbed in the heart in front of a baying mob at an anti-knife crime charity event, a court heard.
But despite a large crowd surrounding Stephen Lewis when he slumped to the floor bleeding from two stab wounds, officers met a wall of silence when they arrived moments later.
The Old Bailey was told yesterday that one girl claimed she had not seen anything because at the time she had her eyes shut, while others refused to talk to officers or give their name.
The teenager was stabbed after a "Back to School" disco abruptly ended when gatecrashers forced their way into St Cedd's church hall in Plaistow.
As hundreds of youths spilled out onto the street, Stephen was surrounded and, to shouts of "shank" (stab), was killed.
Rissasy Nyimbi, 18, another youth then aged 16 but now 17, and a 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, all deny murder on 24 February this year.
Richard Whittam QC, prosecuting, said: "It was a tragedy brought about by the endemic carrying of knives by young men."
The trial continues.
