Gang rivalry led to teen's Ipswich murder, court hears

"Deep-rooted gang rivalry" was behind the alleged murder of a teenager, a court was told.

Raymond James Quigley - known as James - from Wymondham in Norfolk, was stabbed to death on Westgate Street in Ipswich on 17 January.

Alfie Hammett, 19, of Rushmere St Andrew, and Joshua Howell, 18, from Ipswich, both deny murder.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that all three boys were involved in gangs based in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Opening the trial, prosecutor Andrew Jackson said Mr Quigley had been walking with friends along Westgate Street when he was attacked by two men.

He said the victim was associated with a Norfolk gang known as Only The Money - or OTM.

The court heard Mr Hammett had links to another gang in Norfolk, called Third Side, while Mr Howell was with an Ipswich-based gang named Nacton.

The prosecution alleged that the defendants were called on that day to work together to kill Mr Quigley.

Mr Jackson told the court: "You may think it's in deep-rooted gang rivalry between Norfolk's OTM, with which he had links, and the Norfolk and Ipswich gangs, with which the defendants are linked.

"The precise event isn't immediately clear... but tensions between the rival gangs were no doubt running high and it would seem that had followed the killing of another gang member by a rival gang in Norfolk."

He said Mr Hammett attacked Mr Quigley while Joshua Howell chased his friends away with a machete-type knife.

CCTV of the moment Mr Quigley was stabbed was shown in court before footage of him seeking help in a shop was played to jurors.

Mr Quigley was stabbed four times in the torso before collapsing and dying in the Cards Direct shop in Ipswich town centre.

Mr Jackson added: "You'll hear such was the severe force used by Alfie Hammett when he inflicted the fatal chest wound that it penetrated Mr Quigley's breast bone and two major blood vessels of the heart, causing rapid and massive blood loss leading to unconsciousness and eventually death."

The two men also face a charge of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, which they denied at a hearing April.

The trial is expected to last until late January.

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