Boy, 17, from Plaistow in east London, arrested trying to get into court to watch murder trial

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A teenager has been charged after allegedly trying to take a knife into the public gallery of the Old Bailey to watch a murder trial.

The 17-year-old, from Plaistow in east London, was arrested on Tuesday while trying to get into the court.

Police said he has been charged with possession of a bladed article and has been released on bail to appear at a youth court in January.

His arrest was revealed by an Old Bailey judge on Thursday after another 17-year-old was found guilty of the murder of 15-year-old drill rapper Jordan Douherty.

The victim, who performed under the name Young Valenti, was knifed to death after a 16th birthday party descended into violence in June.

Judge Anthony Bate said his attention had been drawn to the public gallery due to the presence of a large number of people.

“I understand their presence was not altogether benign. One of them was arrested having been found in possession of a knife,” he said.

The judge said the arrest has nothing to do with the case and assured the court that security procedures had worked as designed. It is understood the knife was found by security staff at the public entrance to the building.

A City of London police spokesman said: “A 17-year-old male from Plaistow, London, has been charged with possession of a bladed article.

“He has been released on bail to appear at Highbury Corner youth court on Monday 7 January 2019. He was arrested on Tuesday 18 December while attempting to enter the central criminal court.”

Schoolboy Douherty died from two stab wounds, including a “catastrophic injury” to the heart, after he was chased by a large group of youths outside a community centre in Romford.

The attack on 23 June was filmed and shared on social media.

Two other boys, aged 16 and 17, who cannot be named, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent over the stabbing, while William Nayya-Welly, 20, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice before the trial.

They will be sentenced alongside the 17-year-old convicted of Douherty’s murder at the Old Bailey at a date to be fixed next year.