Vigil in memory of teenager stabbed to death

About 100 people have attended a vigil in memory of a teenage boy who was stabbed to death in Birmingham.

Dea-John Reid, 14, was "hunted down" by a group shouting racial slurs and attacked following a confrontation over a bag in May 2021, jurors at a trial two years ago were told.

A 15-year-old was convicted of manslaughter, while other four people were acquitted of murder.

The vigil, in College Road, Kingstanding, close to where Dea-John was stabbed, was part of a campaign calling for jury reform.

Dea-John was a promising footballer who wanted to be a dentist, but died after being chased through the streets of Kingstanding.

The vigil was organised with the help of community activist Bishop Dr Desmond Jaddoo.

He said campaigners wanted, in cases where race was an issue, for juries to be better balanced.

"The jury has to reflect the demographic, which it didn't in this case, and also as well widening the whole aspect of jury selection and civic involvement," he said.

The convicted teenager was cleared of murder, but found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for six and a half years.

The jury at Birmingham Crown Court was made up of 11 white people and one of south Asian heritage.

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