Teenage brothers cleared of killing that shocked Britain

A JURY yesterday cleared two teenage brothers of murdering a 10-year-old Nigerian boy as he walked home from a London library more than five years ago.

It was a killing that shocked Britain and launched a debate about inner-city violence.

The brothers, now aged 17 and 18, also were acquitted of assault with intent to rob Damilola Taylor, but the jury at London’s Old Bailey failed to agree a verdict on manslaughter charges.

The suspects were just 12 and 13 when Damilola, who came to south London from Nigeria with his family so his sister could be treated for epilepsy, was killed, and cannot be identified because of their age.

The youths were arrested in the days that followed but were not charged until last year when “missed” fibres and two specks of blood, on a sweatshirt and trainers, came to light.

The brothers denied all charges and maintained they were not present when Damilola was attacked.

The case was adjourned until tomorrow while prosecutors consider whether to push for a retrial on the manslaughter charges.

The jury on Monday found the brothers’ co-accused, Hassan Jihad, aged 20, not guilty of murder and other charges.

All three accused pleaded not guilty.

Taylor bled to death from stab wounds in the stairwell of a run-down apartment block near his home in November 2000.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair promised everything would be done to find the killers. Four youths under 18 were tried and acquitted of the murder in 2002.

Damilola’s parents, Richard and Gloria, looked sombre as the jury delivered its verdict.

At one point, after jurors told the trial judge they could not reach verdicts, Mr Taylor was heard to whisper: “This is a mess.”

Justice Brian Leveson said they had “attended court assiduously, going through the pain of a second major trial”.

After yesterday’s hearing, solicitor Neil O’May said on behalf of the Taylors: “They are in shock and it will take some time to recover from today’s events.

“Hearing how their son was murdered was distressing in the extreme. Hearing it twice was enormously distressing. Mr and Mrs Taylor and the whole family are deeply distressed and profoundly disappointed the jury could not decide on who killed their son.”