Orphan killers given life terms

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Four men have been jailed for life after they repeatedly stabbed a 15-year-old orphan to death.

Sunday Essiet pleaded for his life during the attack in Woolwich, south-east London, in February 2008.

Myles Maddy, 19, Ademola Docherty, 20, Adeniyi Oloyede, 20, and Ifedotun Gbadebo-Araoye, 20, were convicted of murder at the Old Bailey in April.

Meanwhile, police have arrested one person after a witness in the case suffered an acid attack.

The youth, who was screened from the court during the trial, had acid thrown in his face and is scarred for life.

Judge Timothy Pontius said: "Whatever special measures the court may apply, sometimes I fear it is not sufficient."

Chased around park

He said that Docherty, of Plumstead, south-east London, and Gbadebo-Araoye, of Charlton, south-east London, should be given minimum terms of 16 years.

Maddy, of Thamesmead, and Oloyede, of Abbey Wood, both south-east London, were given minimum terms of 15 years and 13 years respectively.

During the trial jurors were told how Sunday, a Nigerian with no permanent home, was chased by the men around the park.

Edward Brown, QC, prosecuting, said: "Sunday Essiet was hounded, first to one side of the park and attacked, managed to escape and ran, chased by the defendants, 150m to the other side to a wall where there was no escape."

After his father's death in Nigeria, Sunday, known to his friends as Baby, came to the UK with his mother and sister.

Soon after, his mother fell ill and returned to Nigeria where she died.

The four men attacked Sunday in a park close to Plumstead station following a previous confrontation with Sunday and his friends over a gold chain allegedly stolen from the victim's friend.