Two boys handed life sentences for murder of Bristol teen Darrian Williams
Darrian Williams was stabbed once in the back in Easton, on Valentine's Day
Last updated 5th Dec 2024
Two boys, found guilty of killing 16-year-old Darrian Williams in Bristol, have been sentenced to life with minimum terms of 15 years behind bars for murder.
The pair, who are both also 16 and whom we cannot name for legal reasons, have been sentenced during a hearing at Bristol Crown Court today (5/12), after a jury found them guilty last month.
Darrian Williams was stabbed in the back in Rawnsley Park in Easton, at around 5:30pm on 14th February of this year. The two teenagers, who were 15 at the time denied his murder claiming self defence, but that was thrown out by a jury of five men and seven women.
A gang attack?
During the trial, which lasted three weeks, the prosecution shared evidence that the stabbing appeared to be linked to a rivalry between two groups, which have existed in Bristol for many years.
We are choosing not to name them to avoid increasing their notoriety but outlining their case prosecution barrister Michael Burrows KC explained how the two boys responsible approached Darrian and asked if he was a member of their rival group.
Following the stabbing, one of the two boys reportedly shouted that their group was "on top".
Mr Burrows told the jury there was "background" to the offence, and said there had been an incident between two and three weeks earlier in which Darrian was at a bus stop with a friend.
Again on that occasion a group, this time of five people wearing balaclavas, asked Darrian if he was part of a known gang.
Additionally one of the defendants said he had carried a knife since an incident in a McDonalds branch in Bristol six days before Darrian's killing, in which a youth had been seen with a machete.
Avon and Somerset Police say that during their inquiry they found no evidence that Darrian was in a gang or that he was armed on the night he was attacked.
Immediately following the stabbing Darrian ran off and reached nearby Stapleton Road, where witnesses reported seeing his back "drenched with blood".
He managed to get into the passenger seat of a van and the driver tried to take him to a police station before pulling over on West Street, where Darrian received medical attention on the pavement from members of the public.
Emergency services attended and performed an operation on Darrian at the scene, but he could not be revived and was pronounced dead at 7.10pm.
Following the verdict Detective Inspector Neil Mead, who led the investigation for Avon and Somerset Police, said: "As parents we should have some responsibility for what our kids are up to...
"I would urge parents of children this age, when their kids are going out to socialise with their friends, that they're being proactive around making sure their children can't form part of these groups.
"They're perfectly entitled to search their children's bags and pockets for knives...
"The obvious thing is that if they (the defendants) hadn't been carrying a knife they wouldn't have ended up stabbing Darrian and Darrian wouldn't be dead now."
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