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Teenager killed after ‘little scrap’ turned to fatally violent, court told

A teenager was stabbed in the buttock after a “little scrap” turned fatally violent, a court has heard.

Anas Mezenner, 17, died from a 15cm (6in) deep wound following a stand-off between two group of youths in Haringey, north London, on January 19, the Old Bailey was told.

An idea for a “little scrap” over a friend’s missing mobile phone escalated as at least three of the opposing group were armed with large knives, jurors heard.

Four teenagers, three aged 17 and one aged 14, are charged with Anas’s murder and wounding one of his friends with intent.

Opening the trial, Tom Little QC said: “This case involves a senseless murder that took place in January this year. It is a case involving the possession of and the use of knives on the streets of London.”

The defendants “lived by the knife and they were willing to kill with knives”, he alleged.

“In short, all four defendants turned up for a fight. They were acting together and were doing so unlawfully.”

Earlier on the day of the stabbing, one of the 17-year-old defendants was filmed waving two large knives around in front of the others, jurors were told.

Shortly after 7.30pm, the victim and three friends went to Willow Walk in Haringey, where they stayed for several minutes.

They returned to the quiet residential area 90 minutes later and engaged in a “stand-off” with the defendants, who had arrived five minutes before, the jury was told.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage in which it was alleged that words were exchanged before the victim and his friends fled.

Shortly after, Anas re-appeared on CCTV touching the area of his buttock where he was stabbed.

Jurors heard he made a 999 call on his mobile phone before he collapsed.

Anas was found by police slumped against railings and taken to hospital where he died the next day.

A post-mortem examination found Anas died from a 15cm (6in) deep stab wound to the left buttock.

He also suffered cuts and bruises and two fractured teeth.

Following his death, Anas’ three friends were spoken to by police.

Mr Little rejected a claim Anas and his friends had been in Willow Walk to record a video as “plainly not correct”.

Another reason given by the friends was that the people who had taken a phone belonging to one of the friends would be there, jurors heard.

One of Anas’s friends told police the idea was to have “like a little scrap”.

He said one attacker had a Rambo-style knife and two others had “bigger ones”.

The friend told officers that Anas had a hammer in his packpack, although it was not suggested he ever got it out.

Anas’ injured friend told police that one of the attackers had shouted “sauce (stab) him”.

As he ran away, he felt one of them “poke him” in the back, the court heard.

Afterwards, he considered whether they had been “set up” or ambushed, the court was told.

The other friend said the opposing group pulled out knives, one with a blade around 20in long.

Jurors heard that police recovered two knives from a Chrysler Voyager parked nearby which was allegedly linked to some of the defendants.

The car keys and a Zombie-style knife were found at the home of one of the accused teenagers, jurors were told.

The defendants, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, have denied the charges against them.

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