Two boys, 15, guilty of killing a teenager in Birmingham
Muhammad Hassam Ali, 17, was stabbed to death in Victoria Square, Birmingham, in January.
Two 15-year-olds, who cannot be named because of their age, have been on trial for Ali's murder and possession of a knife at Coventry Crown Court.
There were sobs from the public gallery as a jury of six men and six women took just over four hours to return unanimous verdicts on Friday. They found the youth who carried out the fatal attack guilty of murder and possessing a knife and his friend, who was standing nearby when the stabbing happened, guilty of manslaughter and possessing a knife.
The pair will be sentenced in October.
Muhammad Ali was enjoying a hot chocolate with a friend in January this year when he was stabbed in the heart in Victoria Square. He died at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Det Insp Michelle Thurgood, who led the investigation, said:
“Sadly this is another case that of young men carrying a knife, and being willing to use it with catastrophic consequences.
“Muhammad had simply been enjoying a day out with a friend. There’s no evidence at all that he knew either of the boys who went on to kill him, and no evidence he was involved in any earlier attack.
“This appalling violence which causes misery on families has to stop. We are relentless in our work to tackle knife crime, arresting those who do carry blades, and helping to educate those who could be drawn into that lifestyle."