Stab victim 'begged for his life'

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A 15-year-old boy died with nine stab wounds in his back as he begged for his life in a park in broad daylight, the Old Bailey has been told.

Sunday Essiet died in Woolwich, south-east London, last February.

The jury heard Sunday was chased by four men before being stabbed following an earlier confrontation.

Myles Maddy, 19, Ademola Docherty, 20, Adeniyi Oloyede, 20, and Ifedotun Gbadebo-Araoye, 20, all of south-east London, deny murder.

Sunday, known to his friends as Baby, was a Nigerian orphan who had no permanent home and little schooling, the court heard.

Edward Brown, QC, prosecuting, said: "He was killed despite his pleas to his attackers to stop.

'Over-reaction'

"Sunday Essiet was hounded, first to one side of the park and attacked, managed to escape and ran, chased by the defendants, 150 metres to the other side to a wall where there was no escape.

"Others called for them not to kill him and he himself called out and begged not to be attacked again."

The attack followed an earlier confrontation between the group and Sunday's friends in which a gold chain was allegedly stolen from one of his friends, the court heard.

Later, one of the friends took out a "harmless" gun from a bag Sunday was carrying - leading to the "ruthless" over-reaction, said Mr Brown.

The case continues.