Boy detained over 'revenge' murder of teen

A boy who stabbed a teenager to death in a revenge attack one street away from his home has been handed a 16-year custodial sentence.

Greater Manchester Police said Kennie Carter suffered one stab wound to the chest on Thirlmere Avenue in Stretford, Trafford, on 22 January 2022 and later died in hospital.

A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of his murder at Manchester Crown Court and detained for a minimum of 16 years and 60 days.

Latif Ferguson, 18, was detained for five years for manslaughter, while two other 16-year-olds, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were sentenced to four years' detention each for the same offence.

The court heard Kennie was found lying face down on Thirlmere Avenue in Stretford, Trafford, at about 19:00 BST on 22 January 2022.

It heard that in a brief phone call shortly before, he had told his brother that "they’ve stabbed me in my heart bro".

He was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where he died at about 20:30.

A post-mortem examination confirmed a single stab wound had damaged his left lung and passed through his heart.

The Crown Prosecution Service said the murder was an "act of revenge" following two incidents the day before between friends of Kennie and friends of the four teenagers, which saw a man injured and a bat or pole being brandished.

"The following day, the four convicted teenagers travelled together with others to Stretford by tram where they were seen stealing bicycles from a block of flats and heard to shout the phrase 'this is revenge'," a representative said.

They said Kennie, who was at the flats, tried to head home.

"As he walked past the group on Moss Road, one of them was heard to shout: 'You’re the one who had backed that pole'," they said.

"Kennie was fatally stabbed shortly after."

Speaking after sentencing, specialist prosecutor Rebecca Macaulay-Addison said Kennie’s life "was tragically cut short".

She said although only one of the teenagers inflicted the fatal wound, they had all shared "a common purpose of retaliation and an intention to cause harm".

"They made no attempt to stop the attack, showed no remorse after the stabbing and fled the scene, leaving Kennie to die," she added.

"I can only hope that Kennie’s family can begin to move forward, knowing those responsible for their unimaginable loss have been brought to justice."

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