Two teenagers have been detained for life for murdering a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed in the back during a gang-related attack.
Darrian Williams was attacked by two 15-year-olds in a Bristol park on February 14 this year.
Bristol Crown Court heard the boys cycled into Rawnsley Park and began attacking Darrian with knives, with just eight seconds of violence causing a fatal stab wound to his back.
The boys, who are now 16, cannot be identified for legal reasons after a judge refused an application to lift the order.
Mr Justice Saini imposed life sentences and ordered the pair should serve a minimum of 16 years’ custody before applying for parole.
“Bristol has a major problem with knife crime. This case is the second time in the last few months where I have had to say that Bristol and its surrounding areas are in the middle of a plague of knife crime,” the judge said.
“Almost every week there is a report of stabbing. The lives of young boys who carry knives continue to be taken at the hands of other boys who carry knives.
“I should make it clear to you that I do not sentence you on the basis that you have any responsibility for this appalling general situation affecting Bristol as a whole.”
The trial heard Darrian was sitting on a picnic bench with friends in the park in the Easton area of the city when he was set upon.
Despite being fatally injured, the teenager managed to run away from his attackers and flag down a passing van driver for help.
The emergency services were alerted but Darrian could not be saved.
A pathologist concluded that the cause of his death was a single stab wound to his back.
The court heard there was “background” to the offence, including an incident a few weeks earlier when Darrian was at a bus stop with a friend when he was approached by people in balaclavas asking him if he was a member of the 1-6 gang.
The 1-6 gang, which is associated with the Fishponds, Hillfields and Oldbury Court areas, has a long-standing rivalry with the 2-4s or 2s gang, which is linked to the St Paul’s and St Jude’s districts.
One of the defendants said he had carried a knife since an incident in a McDonald’s branch in Bristol in which a youth had been seen with a machete, six days before the attack on Darrian.
CCTV footage from February 14 shows the two defendants riding bikes towards Rawnsley Park at about 5.40pm, leaving the area and returning 10 minutes later.
Witnesses later told police how the two boys, wearing balaclavas, approached Darrian and shouted: “Is that Darrian? Are you 1-6?”
One defendant was holding a single kitchen knife and the other was described as having a kitchen knife in each hand.
After the attack, one is said to have remarked “2s on top”.
The court heard the defendants were asked why they had attacked Darrian, and referred to “2s” in reply.
One said: “Tell Darrian when I see him, I’m going to stab him.”
Michael Burrows KC, prosecuting, told the jury the defendants had gone past Darrian in the park before returning 10 minutes later to “confront him”.
He said: “They chose to return. They chose to approach the group. They were both armed with knives. They were asking whether he was 1-6.
“The prosecution say this was some kind of gang attack.”
Both defendants denied murder.
One admitted a charge of possessing a knife in a public place and his co-accused denied that charge but was found guilty by the jury.
In a victim impact statement, Darrian’s mother, Charlene Williams, said his death had caused “unfathomable pain”.
“As a mother, I feel lost, traumatised and I feel like I now live with a pain that can never go away,” she said.
“Living without him has broken me in a way I cannot fully describe and each day without him is another reminder of what I have lost. I feel that all joy and peace has gone forever.”
His aunt, Tiffany Williams, said she had “lost her sidekick” with Darrian’s death.
“Darrian’s murder has had a massive impact on the whole family,” she added.
Police said there was no evidence Darrian had any “direct association” with the rival groups referred to during the trial or that he was carrying a knife.
Detective Inspector Neil Meade, who led the investigation, said: “Darrian’s killing was utterly senseless, and I’m pleased that today the two boys responsible have been handed prison sentences.
“He was your typical 16-year-old boy hanging out with his friends in the park when he was set upon by these two boys who were clearly intent on causing him serious harm and ultimately killed him.”
