Teenagers celebrated 14-year-old’s murder with rap lyrics, court hears
Gordon Gault was stabbed in the arm with a machete like one used by British Army Gurkhas, jurors were told.
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Teenagers who stabbed a 14-year-old boy to death later wrote rap lyrics celebrating what they had done, a murder trial was told.
Gordon Gault was stabbed with a machete as he rode on the back of a friend’s e-bike in Newcastle’s West End on November 9 last year and died six days later, on November 15, jurors were told.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the attack, which also saw one of his associates slashed in the back, came against a background of tit-for-tat violence between two groups who were looking for each other that night.
Six defendants aged between 16 and 18 deny murder and wounding with intent.
They continued to revel in what they had done writing rap lyrics to effectively celebrate their achievements in killing Gordon Gault
Jonathan Sandiford KC, prosecuting, said rap lyrics and notes written on some of the defendants’ phones will form part of they evidence in the trial, which could last six weeks.
He said Gordon and the other youth – who survived and who cannot be named for legal reasons – were attacked out of revenge over one of the defendants, Carlos Neto, now 18, being stabbed, or “cheffed”, in the buttocks some weeks before.
And, on the day of the fatal stabbing, co-accused Benedict Mbala, also now 18, was assaulted outside his college, with a humiliating video clip of the attack being shared on social media.
Mr Sandiford said the defendants armed themselves with two machetes of the type used by British Army Gurkhas, kitchen knives and a lump hammer, then went into the territory of their rivals, known as a “vio” or violation.
He said there was a feud, or “beef” between the groups, adding it “involved tit-for-tat violence and threats of violence before and after the stabbings”.
Gordon retrieved a metal baseball bat from some bushes and was seen on CCTV to be wearing blue latex gloves, to avoid leaving DNA or fingerprints, in the lead-up to the clash between groups, Mr Sandiford said.
He was riding on the back of the electric scooter as the rivals looked for each other.
Neto then used a machete to stab Gordon in the arm, catching him unaware on the back of the e-bike, and the blow severed vital blood vessels, the court heard.
The youth rode him away from the scene, leaving a trail of blood in the road, and an ambulance was called but the 14-year-old could not be saved despite days of hospital treatment.
Meanwhile, the two armed groups continued to clash until a passing motorist caused them to break up.
As the group returned home, CCTV showed Neto appearing to re-enact the stabbing and “celebrate his killer blow”, the Crown said.
After Gordon died, two of the group tried to destroy evidence by burning it but their attempt failed as they used vegetable oil, the court heard.
Mr Sandiford said the feud continued even after the teenager’s death, demonstrated by evidence recovered from suspects’ phones.
“They continued to revel in what they had done writing rap lyrics to effectively celebrate their achievements in killing Gordon Gault and stabbing (the other teenager),” he said.
They also noted that the other group had never managed to take “sufficient revenge” for the killing.
One lyric recovered by police said the other gang must have thought knifeman Neto “worked in the butchers”.
Jurors were shown a video of Mbala narrating what happened on the night, talking over Google Maps showing the location of the attack and where the groups had gathered.
And even as late as this summer, the group discussed who else among their rivals they should attack, Mr Sandiford said.
The prosecution case was that although Neto was the one who wielded the machete, all six of the group were guilty as their presence emboldened and encouraged the others.
“It was just a matter of chance that he was the one who struck the fatal blow,” Mr Sandiford said.
The jury should also discount any claims by Neto that he was acting in self-defence, the prosecution said, as the group had gone to the scene armed with weapons and expecting violence.
The defendants are: Mbala, of St John’s Walk, Newcastle; Neto, of Manchester Road East, Manchester; Daniel Lacerda, 18, of Paddock Close, Ferryhill, County Durham; Lawson Natty, 18, of Eastgarth, Newbiggin Hall Estate; Newcastle and youths aged 17 and 16 who cannot be identified.
The case was adjourned until Thursday.