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Knifeman cleared of murder
A KNIFEMAN who claimed he killed a gang member in Oxford Street “by accident” has been cleared of murder by Old Bailey jurors.
The accused pulled a blade because he was outnumbered and desperate to escape a violent confrontation which was not of his making, said defence QC Icah Peart.
Mr Peart said that Anthony Costa, 19, feared for his own safety and for his two friends when they were surrounded by 10 strangers armed and “looking for trouble”.
Costa maintained the victim “walked onto” the knife, suffering a fatal wound to the heart, while wielding a belt with a metal buckle.
He was convicted of manslaughter and remanded in custody to be sentenced by Judge Hawkins, QC, on December 22.
The victim, 22, who died in front of hundreds of shoppers was from Islington but cannot be identified for legal reasons.
Mr Peart said he was “steeped in a crime and gang culture” and provoked a clash with an “eyeballing” incident which escalated last May.
Costa, from Walthamstow, denied murder. |
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