Four 17-year-old boys have been jailed over the "ferocious" killing of a teenager who gatecrashed a girl's 16th birthday party.

Lewis Blackman, 19, was stabbed 13 times after being chased from a flat in Kensington, west London, in the early hours of 18 February last year.

Three boys, who were 16 at the time, were found guilty of murder and a fourth of manslaughter.

Judge Anthony Leonard QC lifted reporting restrictions on the defendants' identities as he sentenced them at the Old Bailey.

Demario Williams, who played a "pivotal role" in the murder, has been jailed for at least 20 years.


Lawrence Nkunku-Linongi, who had a previous conviction for carrying a "Rambo-style knife", was jailed for a minimum term of 18 years.

Paul Glasgow was handed the same sentence.

Thierry Edusei, who had been on bail on suspicion of violent offences at the time, was handed 11 years for manslaughter.

Image: (Top left to bottom right) Demario Williams, Lawrence Nkunku-Linongi, Thierry Edusei and Paul Glasgow

Judge Leonard told them: "Whilst it has to be accepted Lewis Blackman was himself acting aggressively that night, he did not deserve to die.

"His mother described him as a fun, popular and compassionate person, good at sports and loved his music.

"It's hard to comprehend the savagery, so plain to see in the CCTV footage, that was meted out by 16-year-olds."

The judge said the murder was aggravated by the fact it was a "sustained and ferocious attack" while the victim was running away.

The court had heard how Mr Blackman arrived uninvited at the party, which was being held at a flat rented for the occasion from Airbnb, after invitations were circulated on social media, particularly Snapchat.

The birthday girl hoped about 50 people her age would attend her party.

She was cautious to only invite guests from Hackney, east London, and avoid boys from Camden because of "history" between groups from those areas.

But Mr Blackman was among 10 people from the northwest London borough who turned up.

The victim was armed with a knife and his friend possessed a firearm when they attempted to force their way into the party, the court heard.

CCTV cameras caught a larger group of partygoers, some also armed with knives, chasing Mr Blackman along the residential streets of Earls Court before they caught and stabbed him repeatedly.

Mr Blackman suffered multiple stab wounds, including two to the chest, and died at the scene.

Jurors were told the group's "crazed expressions" had been replaced by a "triumphant swagger" as they returned to the flat where the party was being held "visibly excited".