A 15-year-old boy who stabbed another teenager to death in a revenge attack has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for manslaughter.
14-year-old Dea-John Reed died from a single stab wound after being racially abused in the Kingstend area of Birmingham last May.
In a statement to the victim read out in court on Friday, Dea-John’s mother, Joan Morris, said her “handsome” son, a future footballer and unarmed dentist, was “hunted by a lynching mob reminiscent of a scene by Mississippi Burning.
Surveillance footage of the murder was seen by jurors who heard that Dea-John had been attacked in “revenge” after an earlier altercation in a park.
The young defendant, whose name could not be named due to his age, was acquitted of murder but was convicted of manslaughter in March.
A judge at the Royal Court in Birmingham rejected the request to revoke an order protecting the identity of the boy, who was told that he would serve half of his sentence in custody.
Delivering the sentence, Judge Johnson told the 15-year-old, who wore gloves and a balaclava to commit the murder: “The video shows that there was a concerted persecution of Dee-John, led by you and involving four others.
“If an adult does what you did, it will almost certainly be murder and he will be sentenced to life in prison.
Four other defendants – George Hahn, 39, Michael Shields, 36, and two young men aged 15 and 16 – had previously been acquitted on murder charges, all of which they denied.
Jurors also acquitted Holly Davis, 36, of Walden Walk, Birmingham, for aiding and abetting an attempt to thwart the murder investigation.
Dea-John Reid’s mother said the 14-year-old boy was “hunted by a lynching mob reminiscent of a burning Mississippi scene” before being stabbed to death.
(West Midlands Police)
In her statement about the victim’s blow, read in court by her family friend Bishop Desmond Jadou, Dea-John’s mother said her son was stabbed after the killer deliberately picked up a kitchen knife, put it in his pants and then chased Dea-John. John with the blade rose into the air in front of witnesses as he carried the balaclava.
After going through the trial and having to watch the last moments of her son’s life on CCTV footage, Ms. Morris said the manslaughter and acquittal of the other four defendants added insult to the injury.
She said: “This conviction for manslaughter, while everyone else is found not guilty, just proves to me that the life of Dee-John Reed, my son, a young black man, didn’t matter.
“This only underscores the current question: ‘The lives of blacks really matter?’
“As for me, many will say that this young man was held responsible for the murder of my son, but I wonder if the roles have been reversed, what could be the sentence?
“I believe that a system I have chosen to trust has completely deceived me, my family, my community, including Dea-John’s friends.
In homage to Dee-John after his death, his family said: “This loss affects not only us but everyone Dee-John knew. We lost a son, his siblings lost a brother, and others lost a friend.
“The departure of this incredibly talented young boy will be felt by all of us. How many more mothers will have to grieve for their sons to stop this? ”
Additional reports from the Press Association
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