By Chris Williamson–
The Met police has released a photo of a 20-year-old man found guilty of murdering Croydon 16-year-old Damarie Roye, who was stabbed to death in Thornton Heath in July last year. Byron Whyne, 20, of Grenaby Road was convicted of murder by jurors who heard details of the murder.
Cruel Whyne(pictured) was raging with jealousy when he attacked Damarie in broad daylight as the teenager cycled along Bensham Manor Lane on July 9 2021.
Whyne was arrested in the days after the attack and charged with murder. He was found guilty of murder and possession of a knife at Croydon Crown Court on Thursday April 14. He was also found guilty of a separate count of GBH dating back to August 9 2020.
The court heard how Whyne’s motivation for the violent and daylight attack was borne out of jealousy. Damarie had befriended a girl with whom Whyne had previously been in a relationship.
Rather than accept the situation, Whyne, who had been controlling even after the relationship ended, went on to harbour a grudge and made threats, once with a knife.
During the trial the court heard how the occupants of a van, who were in Bensham Manor Road on that afternoon, saw a moped driving erratically, mounting the pavement and making sudden turns to go back in pursuit of a boy who they later learned was Damarie.
Damarie ran from the moped and managed to climb into the van with the help of those inside where they discovered he had been stabbed and had a serious chest injury. He was rushed to hospital but sadly, he later died from his wounds.
Dashcam footage from another passing vehicle showed the moped, which was being ridden by two people, encircling Damarie before he was attacked. It also showed that even after he had been stabbed and was fleeing, they kept in pursuit to continue the brutal attack.
Other CCTV from nearby houses showed that Whyne, who was the passenger on the moped and the person who carried out the stabbing, had a knife in his hand as the moped raced down the road. After stabbing Roye, Whyne and his friend continued to pursue him, but the tragic teen found temporary refuge in waiting van.
The murderer then stole his victim’s bike after stabbing him. After initially denying being involved at all, Whyne’s clothing was matched to that of the moped passenger and detectives were able to plot the route from Whyne’s home to the scene of the attack and back.
Whyne was also on bail for another offence and was wearing an electronic tag which not only registered the times he left his home and arrived back again, but also pinged every time he passed another house with a tagging device monitor installed.
The jury also heard how the day after the attack Whyne told his ex-partner over the phone how he was the one responsible for stabbing Damarie. Whyne will be sentenced on Thursday April 28 at Croydon Crown Court.
Detective Chief Inspector Jo Sidaway, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “This was a completely senseless attack against a young boy who had his whole life ahead of him. He was brutally murdered simply because Whyne could not control his jealousy.
“All our thoughts are with Damarie’s family and friends. They have suffered an unimaginable loss and have showed admirable strength and bravery during this trial.