A group of murders have been caught on video chasing victims with knives just days before they killed a teenage 'like vultures' - but police still deny they have a problem with gangs.

Kyle Yule, 17, was stabbed to death outside his best friend's home in Kent.

But local police have insisted the murder - described by a judge as a 'revenge attack' - was not 'gang-related' or that there is a difficulty with gangs of youngsters rampaging with weapons in Medway towns.

Now footage has emerged showing the five youths convicted of murder chasing men with knives and belts.

A trial heard how Mr Yule was affiliated with 'G10' in Gillingham, while the defendants were part of 'C4' in Chatham and all had 'tags' or nicknames.

Both groups are described as gangs in a Medway Council report on tackling gang violence.

Kyle Yule, (left), died after he was stabbed on the front doorstep of his best friend's home in Gillingham, Kent. Victor Maibvisira (right) was jailed for 24 years for the killing

Footage and images shown to the jury during the trial depicted the defendants' propensity for violence and carrying knives, including in public places

The court heard there had been a string of disputes between the two groups before the stabbing, including:

- On August 10 last year, witnesses described a group of 20 or 30 teenagers standing in the middle of the road outside Gillingham Station at 9pm when one pulled out a sword.

- After a fight outside the Southern Bell Pub on September 13, a Snapchat message was sent by Victor Maibvisira, known as V, to a friend of Mr Yule which said: 'Get your coffin ready, game on.'

- On September 29 in Gillingham High Street, Maibvisira, Ephrain Akinwunmi-Streets and Jordan Dania chased a silver Renault Clio - which Mr Yule was in the night he was attacked

Shezakia Daley, 18, who will serve a minimum of 16 years in jail

- On October 1 Maibvisira, Akinwunmi-Streets and Shezakia Daley threatened and attempted to attack two men outside a pub in Gillingham Road using knives and a belt.

- The day before Mr Yule was killed, on October 5, police officers spoke to him about 'gang-related violence' and how a plan was needed to 'remedy' the situation. The court heard how one officer told him and another teenager: 'One of you will be dead soon', to which Mr Yule replied something to the effect of 'don't worry, I can run fast'.

Sentencing Maibvisira, Judge Adele Williams branded him the leader of the group, adding: 'You are highly intelligent and articulate but you gathered around yourself a group of younger boys and cultivated a gangster type image.

'You wanted the other group to fear you. You are arrogant and ruthless.'

Last year's Medway Community Safety Partnership report said there had been an increase in violence some of which was likely to be due to a rise in 'emerging local groups' as well as gangs from London.

Incidents occurred when there was 'turf rivalry', it said, adding: 'For example in Medway where members of the Chatham-based C4 gang move into Gillingham where an emerging group calling themselves G10 are based.'

A Kent Police spokesman said the murder was 'not a gang crime' or a 'turf war' but it was a result of a 'falling out between two groups of young people who knew each other'.

The court heard there had been a string of disputes between the two groups before the stabbing

Kyle's mother Nikki Yule, pictured, attended the eight-week trial at Maidstone Crown Court and broke down in tears as she read a victim impact statement

Detective Superintendent Susie Harper said the force works 'tirelessly to ensure gangs cannot take a foothold in Kent, and are largely very successful in doing so'.

The Kent and Medway Gangs Strategy was launched and teams of officers specialise in investigating crimes involving vulnerable children, she said, insisting the area remains a safe place to live, work and visit.

Footage and images shown to the jury during the trial depicted the defendants' propensity for violence and carrying knives, including in public places.

Press requests to publish the material were initially declined by Kent Police's press office and then banned by Judge Williams during the trial.

But the restrictions were lifted after the court order was challenged by reporters.

The dead victim's mother broke down in tears when she came face to face with her son's killers as they were jailed for life for stabbing him to death outside his best friend's house.

The gang of five teenagers set upon Kyle Yule 'like vultures' during a revenge attack in Gillingham, Kent in October last year.

His mother Nikki Yule said in a statement after his killers were locked up that she hoped it sent out a message to youngsters that 'knife crime destroys lives.'

The 17-year-old was set upon after he was spotted sat alone in a silver Renault Clio, which had its windows smashed and a tyre slashed.

He ran from the car to a friend's house but as he banged on the door he was stabbed five times by the gang who ignored his pleas for mercy.

He was heard pleading with gang leader and pharmaceutical science student Victor Maibvisira, 19, known as Vee: 'Vee stop, I've had enough. I get the point.'

One of the knife blows from Maibvisira pieced his right armpit and severed an artery.

The hooded and masked teenagers then fled on foot or bikes, leaving Kyle bleeding to death in the front garden. He died in hospital.

Maibvisira and Shezakia Daley, 18, both of Gillingham, Tyler Ralph, of Hertfordshire, and Ephrain Akinwunmi-Streets, of Sittingbourne, both 17, and 16-year-old Jordan Dania, of Croydon, were all convicted of his murder after an eight-week trial.

Maibvisira was handed the longest minimum sentence of 24 years while Akinwunmi-Streets, Daley, Tyler Ralph, 17, and Jordan Dania, 16, were given a minimum of 16 years.

During sentencing at Maidstone Crown Court, Mr Yule's mother wept as she read out a victim impact statement, telling the teenagers: 'The night you took the life of my beautiful loved son has ruined my family's life forever.'

Kyle was sat alone in this Renault Clio before the fatal attack

She said he had been looking forward to celebrating his 18th birthday in November last year.

She added: 'His funeral was two days after his birthday. To those involved in taking his life, how dare you sit there and look forward to your birthday?

'He will never get to see another birthday or Christmas again. He will never get married, never have children, never have a chance to see his brothers and sisters grow up.

She branded the five 'cowards running around with knives' and added: 'Nobody has the right to take somebody else's life.

'That night I have been told my son was screaming, begging you to stop, and you just carried on.

'He would not hurt anyone. He was not in a gang. He would not start a fight.. I know my baby was petrified. He never stood a chance.'

Speaking after the hearing Mrs Yule said: 'I hope the outcome today will help send out a very strong message to all young people, that knife crime cannot and will not be tolerated in any way, shape or form.

'No one should feel the need to carry knives. People's lives can be lost so quickly and needlessly, just look at what happened to my Kyle.

This is the knife that police believe was used by Maibvisira during the murderous attack

'Quite simply, knife crime destroys lives.'

The killing was the culmination of a feud when the gang accused one of Kyle's friends of stealing a bike.

The court heard gang leader Maibvisira 'gathered his troops and tooled up', then attacked Kyle as 'payback' for a split lip he had suffered in an earlier confrontation with one of the teen's friends.

This led to a chilling warning in a Snapchat message: 'Get your coffin ready. Game on.'

A witness told officers the group chasing him 'were on him like vultures, kicking and punching him'. They were masked and were silent when they inflicted the fatal blows.

Just five days before the killing CCTV captured Maibvisira, Akinwunmi-Streets and Shezakia Daley attempting to attack two men outside a pub with machetes, knives and a belt.

All five admitted being at the scene of the murder, but denied stabbing Kyle.

Maibvisira and Daley were were the only two to give evidence, each blaming the other for inflicting the fatal blow.

Sentencing Judge Adele Williams said: 'This case illustrates the problems which occur when young men such as you carry knives and use knives.

'You all had a fascination with knives. I have no doubt you all thought it was glamorous and macho to carry a knife.

'You, Ephrain Akinwunmi-Streets, said in interview you all sometimes wore masks to scare people. You all though it would make people look up to you and to fear you.

Maibvisira and his gang were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court

'You were all running out of control at this time. You believed the law did not apply to you. During the trial, you all sought to blame each other.

'This was a revenge attack upon another group.

'It was a senseless, ruthless and calculated killing, for which not one of you has at any stage shown any sign of remorse.'

Akinwunmi-Streets, known as Velz, was also convicted of the pub affray while Maibvisira and Daley, known as S or Shez, admitted making threats with a machete.

CCTV showed a masked Maibvisira armed with the knife making a slitting motion across his throat.

Footage was also shown to the jury of Ralph entering a McDonald's in Penge, south east London, in April last year - five months before the murder - where he slashed a bystander's head with a knife and pushed over an elderly woman.

The jury also viewed shocking mobile phone footage set to rap music in which Ralph, often masked, brandished a variety of lethal-looking knives and swords.

In one clip the teenager, who has previous convictions for both violence and knife crime, was shown wielding a machete behind a young woman who told the camera 'F*** with me, f*** with him'.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Ivan Beasley said: 'Throughout the trial and although agreeing they were present, each defendant denied being involved in the attack which took Kyle's life.

'However, the jury rightly saw through these lies.

'This is a tragic case because not only did Kyle lose his life but his friends and family have also been significantly affected.

'Those responsible for Kyle's death chose to behave in an appalling manner with no regard for his life.

'These were two separate groups of former friends who fell out over something as small as a push bike and the defendants' response was to attack a young man with knives.'