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Title 'Devastated': family's knife verdict pain [of Stefan Appleton] Author Material Article External document The manslaughter conviction of a 17-year-old boy for the knife killing of Canonbury teenager Stefan Appleton brings to a close a case which profoundly shocked the Islington community last year.
However, the decision by an Old Bailey jury to clear the main defendant of murder was described as “devastating” by Stefan’s family. The teenager admitted stabbing student Stefan with a fearsome “zombie killer” knife but claimed he did so in self-defence.
Wearing a hood and balaclava, the killer used the machete-type weapon to attack Stefan, 17, stabbing him through the heart just yards away from a playground in Nightingale Park on June 10 last year. The attack occurred in broad daylight in front of children and their parents.
The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, was cleared of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent. A 17-year-old co-defendant, who admitted driving the pair to the scene of the killing on a stolen moped but denied having any part in it, was cleared of both charges.
Marquess estate resident and former St Mary Magdalene school pupil Stefan was one of four Islington teenagers to fall victim to knives last year.
The verdicts at the Old Bailey on Friday added to the pain felt by Stefan’s relatives, who gasped in disbelief as they were read out and left the courtroom in tears.
Speaking from the family home this week, Stefan’s cousin, who did not want to be named, said of the jury’s decision: “We are shocked and disappointed [at the verdict]. We don’t feel like we’ve got justice.”
Jenny Appleton, Stefan’s aunt, told the Tribune: “The whole family is devastated. We’re not happy with the decision that was made. All the police officers were shocked [at the verdict]. We just can’t believe it.”
She added: “We miss Stefan terribly. He was a lovely boy, he would light up a room. He did not deserve to die in the way that he did. It was just him lying on the floor, fighting for his life.
“We are a church-going family and we believe that God is looking after Stefan and that he is resting in peace. Without our belief in God, I don’t know how we would manage.”
Stefan was in the park with friends playing “pound up”, a game which involves throwing coins against a wall. As Stefan spent time with his pals, the two 17-year-olds left Kerridge Court estate in Dalston and drove to Nightingale Park on a stolen Piaggo moped. The jury was presented with conflicting evidence as to what happened next.
The prosecution argued that the defendants were members of the Dalston-based Red Pitch gang, which is in conflict with the Essex Road gang – also known as Halton Mansions – in the Nightingale Park area. While Stefan may not have been their intended target, they had gone to the park to stab someone, the Crown said. Notes Islington Tribune filed at A-Z periodicals (Islington Local History Centre) Audio
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