By Eric King-
Two teenagers have been found guilty of murdering a 17-year-old boy in an “ambush” attack.
Elijah Dornelly was attacked by the pair who hid behind a phone box before pouncing on him in Walthamstow High Street at around 11.30pm on Sunday, May 7.
Morgan Mockford, 18, of Randolph Road, Walthamstow and Ezra Soares-Abeka, 18 of Caxton Road, Southall were found guilty by a majority verdict at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, November 29. 17 year old Elijah Dornelly was attacked by the pair who hid behind a phone box before pouncing on him in Walthamstow high street on May 7. CCTV showed Elijah, who lived in Walthamstow, walking with another boy as his killers waited to launch their attack.
The pair cycled away from the scene after stabbing Elijah once in the stomach. Police tracked down the pair through their movements to a fast food restaurant nearby where they were identified by officers who arrested them at their homes on May 15. Ian Lott from the Met’s Homicide and Major crime Command said :Elijah was ambushed in a sudden attack by these two defendants and in an instant the stab wound that would end his life was inflicted.
”This is another tragic reminder of the sad consequences of disaffected young people carrying and using knives, seemingly without a thought for the repercussions, and the lives being taken and ruined by senseless violence. I hope this verdict is well received by Elijah’s grieving family who have acted with the utmost dignity since the murder and have shown immense bravery by attending the trial and facing the people responsible for Elijah’s murder”.
Gang crime is London continues to be rife, with many teenagers locked in pointless feuds over territorial issues that include drugs, women, and the self identity crisis facing many teenagers that spur them on to often develop a rivalry over issues of ‘respect’- an acknowledgment craved for by them which many of them have not earned in their development. Rather than carve out a successful professional career and invest in their future, they indulge in practices that end them dead or in jail. The teenagers we all sympathise with are those genuine innocent ones who become the victims of gang bullying , just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and getting caught up in gang dispute by association.
Teenagers of today wonder the streets aimlessly, their mindful goal is usually to obstruct, destroy, or cause harvoc. Good teenagers must choose their friends carefully, and avoid mix ups that can end them dead or in jail. The loss of young life like this is deeply sad and disturbing, and our condolences goes to the family of the victims