'Blood on all your hands': Gang jailed for killing man with mental age of 9

 

A gang of teenagers have been jailed for killing a man with the mental age of nine as they tried to mug him at knifepoint.

The judge said all four youths had "blood on their hands" over the death of Dean Mayley.

Jamal Jones, 17, was caught on graphic CCTV film stabbing the 24-year-old in the heart after stopping him in the street and demanding his mobile phone on the afternoon of February 7.

He denied he meant to seriously hurt Dean when he lashed out with the blade, but was found guilty of murder after an Old Bailey trial.

He was jailed for life with a minimum of 15 years, while three other teenagers who provided back-up in the attempted robbery in Greenford, west London, were also jailed.

Sentencing the four, Judge Martyn Zeidman QC told them: "It was Jamal Jones who plunged the knife into Dean's heart.

 

"But make no mistake, you all have blood on your hands. You each played an important part in this event and you did so knowing that Jamal had a knife and realising that he might stab Dean with it.

"Put bluntly, now Dean is dead and it's your fault."

The judge described Dean as a "kind, innocent and vulnerable young man".

In a victim impact statement by his mother Donna said: "The loss of our lovely Dean has ripped our family apart.

"It is hard to comprehend that we will never see him again."

Jailed: From top left, Jamal Jones, Michael Mensah, Ryan Beresford and Miguel Leiba           

 

 During the trial, the court heard that Dean was killed because he did not hand over his phone to the robbers.

Jurors were told he had learning difficulties due to a brain disorder called microcephaly and probably did not fully understand what they wanted.

CCTV showed three hooded figures surround him before one of them stabbed him with a knife.

The gang made no attempt to help Dean, who staggered and collapsed in the road as members of the public rushed to his aid, but he died later in hospital.

Miguel Leiba, 17, from Hanwell, and Ryan Beresford, 19, of Acton, blocked the victim's path and Michael Mensah, 18, from Greenford, drove them to and from the scene.

CCTV: Shocking images showed the moment Dean was stabbed in the street  

All three were cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter and also found guilty of the attempted robbery of Mr Mayley.

Leiba, who was 16 at the time of the offence, was jailed for 14 years for manslaughter and eight years for attempted robbery, to run concurrently.

Beresford was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter and eight years for attempted robbery, to run concurrently.

Mensah was jailed for 15 years for manslaughter and nine years for attempted robbery, to run concurrently.

He was also found guilty of an earlier robbery on January 28 and was sentenced to two years for that offence, meaning he will serve a total of 17 years.

 

 

 

 

Dean Mayley: He was described as a kind and vulnerable man     

Judge Zeidman said that the defendants might not have intended to kill Dean, but added: "On CCTV footage Jones can be seen looking around, steadying himself then stabbing the victim.

"It was a clear, deliberate act, carried out with the force of a firm punch - as the pathologist told us - and it went into Dean's heart and came out the other side.

"A stabbing of that kind to someone's heart runs the most obvious risk of causing someone's death, even when death is not intended."

Referring to the victim's family, the judge told the four defendants they had "in effect imposed upon them a life sentence of grief".

He said they had the "chance to keep Dean's memory alive by telling others about the lessons of this case".

"You need to scream it from the rooftops," he added. "Knives destroy lives. Knife crime equals prison."

Vulnerable: Dean had learning difficulties and may not have understood what the gang were asking

Judge Zeidman said that the defendants might not have intended to kill Dean, but added: "On CCTV footage Jones can be seen looking around, steadying himself then stabbing the victim.

"It was a clear, deliberate act, carried out with the force of a firm punch - as the pathologist told us - and it went into Dean's heart and came out the other side.

"A stabbing of that kind to someone's heart runs the most obvious risk of causing someone's death, even when death is not intended."

Referring to the victim's family, the judge told the four defendants they had "in effect imposed upon them a life sentence of grief".

He said they had the "chance to keep Dean's memory alive by telling others about the lessons of this case".

"You need to scream it from the rooftops," he added. "Knives destroy lives. Knife crime equals prison."