A 16-YEAR-OLD boy has been jailed for murdering a schoolboy in a “revenge act”.
The heartbroken mum of victim Kennie Carter slammed the thug for “smirking” during his sentencing today.
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Three other teens have also been caged for their involvement in Kennie’s death.
Kennie, 16, was killed by a single stab wound to the chest while walking home near Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground.
His murder was an “act of revenge” following a brawl between Kennie’s friends and friends of the four teens sentenced today.
One man was injured in the fight, during which a bat or pole was brandished.
The four teens travelled by tram from the inner-city Hulme neighbourhood to Stretford the next day.
They went to a block of flats where they knew Kennie’s friends would typically hang out.
The boys stole three bikes, and a witness heard them shout: “This is revenge.”
Kennie was inside the block of flats and headed home after hearing the boys were nearby.
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But in a tragic twist of fate he passed the group on Moss Road – and became their target.
One of the group was heard shouting: “You’re the one who had backed that pole innit.”
The 16-year-old was killed with a single stab wound to the chest while he was on the phone.
The group of boys ran from the scene without giving Kennie medical assistance or calling an ambulance, later abandoning the stolen bikes.
He was found lying face down at 7pm after calling his brother to say: “Oh, they’ve stabbed me in the heart bro.”
Paramedics raced Kennie to Manchester Royal Infirmary but he was pronounced dead at 8.27pm on January 22, 2022.
A post-mortem revealed Kennie had suffered a single stab wound on the left side of his chest.
The knife wound damaged Kennie’s left lung and passed through his heart.
Cops launched a murder probe – visiting local schools and colleges in a bid to track down those responsible.
They combed CCTV, executed 20 warrants and issued a £50,000 reward.
They identified ten teenage boys – who were jointly charged in connection with Kennie’s murder on October 31 last year.
KILLER CAGED
A 16-year-old boy who wielded the knife that delivered the single stab wound was found guilty of murder last month.
He had been seen on CCTV miming and re-enacting the stabbing and was named as the murder culprit by other members of the group.
The boy has now been sentenced to detention in a young offenders’ institution for a minimum of 16 years and 60 days.
Kennie’s mum Joan said she had seen the boy “laugh and smirk” throughout a court hearing.
She said: “This shows me he had absolutely no remorse and broke my heart even more.
“No penalty or what the court can award will ever be enough in my eyes.
“They have taken away our Kennie from his loving family and our lives are destroyed forever.”
‘ACT OF REVENGE’
Three other teens were also jailed after being found guilty of manslaughter.
Latif Ferguson, now 18 but 15 at the time, was sentenced to five years’ detention in a young offenders’ institution.
Two 16-year-olds were sentenced to four years’ detention following a lengthy trial at Manchester Crown Court.
Six other teens were found not guilty of murder and manslaughter in the same trial.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Goose said: “You were intent on causing Kennie Carter harm.
“The stabbing occurred because of a perceived grievance between Kennie Carter and his associates and with the four of you.
“Part of what may have caused you to commit this offence may be your need to appear strong and loyal to your associates who had been disrespected.
“I am sure that the knife used to stab Kennie Carter was your knife which you took with you to use in revenge.
“Although Boy A wielded the knife, it was done with a shared purpose.
“The others participated by marauding around, spotting Kennie and following him.
“They supported and encouraged one in their number to take deadly revenge.
“This was yet another killing of a young person with a knife against the backdrop of gang violence.
“Young males carrying knives in public in readiness to threaten and kill others is becoming all too common in our cities.
“The tragedy is that not only does it destroy the lives of the victims and their families, but also those who commit the offence.”
‘UNIMAGINABLE LOSS’
CPS prosecutor Rebecca Macaulay-Addison said: “Kennie Carter’s life was tragically cut short.
“At trial, we were able to show that Kennie was killed by a deliberate act carried out by a 16-year-old boy.
“He had come to Trafford with a group, set on revenge. The jury by their verdict rejected the suggestion of self-defence.
“Although only one of the teenagers inflicted the fatal wound, the others encouraged that act.
“They identified and located a target for revenge, and further chased.”
Macaulay-Addison added: “They were present in sufficient numbers which supported him.
“They all shared a common purpose of retaliation and an intention to cause harm.
“Following the stabbing, they all fled together, leaving as a group, as they had arrived.
“They made no attempt to stop the attack, showed no remorse after the stabbing and fled the scene, leaving Kennie to die.
“Nothing can bring Kennie back. I can only hope that Kennie’s family can begin to move forward.
“Those responsible for their unimaginable loss have been brought to justice.”
Mum’s tribute to ‘cheeky’ Kennie
KENNIE’s devastated mum Joan told how “he brightened up every day with his cheeky smile and his bubbly personality”.
She added: “Every day I wake up thinking of him, I dream about him regularly.
“We are still stuck on the day Kennie was killed and I feel people are moving on and forgetting about our Kennie.
“He was always acting daft, telling jokes and generally being a 16-year-old boy, he had everything to live for.
“My son was chased down in the street and killed on his way home. At the time of his death he was just 16.
“For the last seven weeks we have had to listen to evidence of what happened to our son in graphic detail.
“How can we put into words how his death and the last two and a half years has affected us?
“It is not just Kennie that died on January 22, 2022. Our whole family has been destroyed by this mindless violence.”