Youth guilty of murdering Martin Dinnegan, 14
Male youth found guilty of murdering 14-year-old Martin Dinnegan in north London last summer
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Friday, 11, Jul 2008 07:07
A male youth has been found guilty of murdering 14-year-old Martin Dinnegan in north London last summer.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had denied stabbing Martin to death in Holloway in June 2007.
An Old Bailey jury also found a 17-year-old boy guilty of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.
Both have been remanded in custody until August 8th, when they will be sentenced.
After five hours of deliberating jurors cleared two men accused of murdering Martin.
Rene John-Baptiste of Plaistow, 21, and Sean Clark, 19, of Holloway, were both acquitted of any charge.
Martin was chased, punched to the ground and kicked, stabbed four times in the back and left to die in the street after a fight broke out between two gangs after school.
Violence broke out on June 26th 2007 after Martin, who was travelling through Finsbury Park, Islington, on a bus with friends, had exchanged "dirty looks" with a group of youths riding bikes.
Acting Detective Chief Inspector Stewart Hill commented: "The murder of Martin highlights the potential fatal consequences that may result from carrying knives and other weapons.
"In this case, an innocuous meeting of two groups of youths escalated in to a series of confrontations resulting in Martin's tragic murder. The investigation has established that any of those youths involved in these confrontations could just have likely become the victim in this case."
ADCI Hill added: "Our hearts go out to the Dinnegan family for their tragic loss.
"I would particularly like to thank those witnesses in this investigation that had the courage to come forward and ultimately, in difficult circumstances, give evidence in this trial. The [Metropolitan police] and [crown prosecution service] are committed to supporting such witnesses and this case reinforces the role that the community plays in assisting both the police, and their partners, in combating violent crime."