Sofyen Belamouadden from Acton, west London was stabbed at London’s Victoria station (Picture: PA)

A school rivalry which escalated into a 15-year-old’s killing was labelled the ‘first murder by BlackBerry messenger’, as a 16th gang member was jailed for his part in the death.

Junior Bayode was sentenced to 11 years for manslaughter as the detective in charge of the investigation blamed social media for stoking the fire started by a bloodied nose.

‘What you had after the incident of the boy that had a bloodied nose, there was almost instantaneous communication by a whole range of electronic media,’ Det Ch Insp John McFarlane said.

‘You have got respect issues. People are stoking things up – “Have you got a knife?”; ‘There’s going to be madness”; “People are going to get slumped”. If it hadn’t been for social media, they wouldn’t have been able to organise who’s got weapons.’




Det Ch Insp McFarlane added it was the ‘first case of note that BlackBerry messaging had come to the fore and been used for criminality’.

Sofyen Belamoudaden was fatally stabbed as he ran from a mob armed with swords and knives, intent on revenge for a previous run-in.

The teenager was hacked to death in front of rush-hour commuters at London’s Victoria station.

Sofyen died of wounds to his heart and right lung on March 25, 2010, as he was the last to flee the clash between the Henry Compton School, Fulham, and St Charles Sixth Form, Ladbroke Grove.

The sentencing of Bayode, now 19, at the Old Bailey took the total jail terms for the 16 young people involved in the murder to 140 years.