1 hour ago 
Image source, Police Scotland
Amen Teklay died successful Glasgow successful March past year
Two teenagers person been cleared of murdering a 15-year-old lad who was stabbed done the bosom with a sword successful Glasgow.
Amen Teklay died aft a confrontation involving the 2 boys, who were aged 14 and 15 astatine the time, successful the St George's Cross country successful March 2025.
A assemblage astatine the High Court successful Glasgow recovered them some not guilty. The boys are present aged 16 and 17 but cannot beryllium named due to the fact that of their age.
The 16-year-old said some helium and Amen had swords and claimed that helium stabbed him successful self-defence. The older teen said helium had been lasting a region distant and did not onslaught Amen.
There were affectional scenes successful tribunal arsenic Amen's household and friends heard the verdict.
The judge, Lord Colbeck, thanked the assemblage for their work earlier discharging them.
During his directions past week helium told them that, erstwhile considering a self-defence defence, they indispensable see whether an accused oregon person was successful imminent information from an attack.
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Police launched a large probe aft Amen's death
The justice besides said that, for self-defence, unit tin lone beryllium utilized arsenic a past edifice and "must not beryllium much than a tenable amount".
After the verdict, Jamie O'Neill, a assemblage improvement idiosyncratic astatine Kingsway Community Connections, said the household were inactive processing the verdict.
He added: "It's not a determination that they expected oregon wanted."
The proceedings had heard that the incidental followed a feud betwixt Amen and the younger boy.
It was said to person started successful 2024 aft Amen and immoderate of his friends, allegedly equipped with knives, stole cannabis from the 16-year-old and 2 different boys during a cause deal.
That led to a bid of clashes betwixt Amen and the 16-year-old, immoderate of which progressive assorted weapons.
A fig of the incidents successful the metropolis were caught connected CCTV and shown successful court.
One witnesser said the 2 boys were "at war".
A drawstring of messages said to person been sent betwixt the 16-year-old and different youths were shown during the trial.
In 1 message, sent 2 days earlier the incident, the 16-year-old said Amen had a "big shank astir arsenic large arsenic mine". The tribunal heard shank meant knife.
There was further treatment that the radical "ain't warring tiny shanks".
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A vigil was held successful the days aft Amen's death
Another witnesser described a erstwhile incidental erstwhile a combat had been arranged.
The witnesser said some Amen and the 16-year-old brought retired their swords oregon machetes, but the combat was stopped erstwhile young children were seen successful the area.
Giving grounds successful his defence, the 16-year-old told the tribunal that helium bought the limb - a reddish bladed sword - online for £40 successful January 2025.
He was asked astir societal media videos taken earlier the fatal incident, wherever helium was seen holding the blade.
The teen said helium was "trying to physique a persona" and added: "It was ridiculous, I was 14 - I didn't know.
"I look backmost present and I was precise stupid. I don't cognize wherefore I did that stuff."
But the tribunal besides heard that the 16-year-old regularly carried the weapon.
On the nighttime of Amen's death, helium was with the 17-year-old and a radical of friends astatine a shot centre successful Maryhill erstwhile 1 received a telephone telephone saying that Amen had been seen successful the country and was looking for immoderate of them.
Some of the radical went location but the prosecution argued that the 16-year-old wanted to look for Amen.
He had his reddish sword successful a sheath down his trousers.
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Amen was killed successful the St George's Cross country of Glasgow
The 17-year-old said helium walked with the 16-year-old - who was connected an e-scooter - arsenic it was connected his mode to his autobus stop.
He picked up a discarded frying cookware from a thoroughfare on the way, claiming it could beryllium protection.
The brace were adjacent Clarendon Street erstwhile they claimed that Amen "jumped out" from down a parked car with a knife.
The 17-year-old described Amen's limb arsenic a curved "pirate's blade".
The 16-year-old pulled retired his ain sword and the brace were said to beryllium "swinging astatine each other".
The 17-year-old lad was further back.
Both teenagers claimed that erstwhile Amen saw the 17-year-old helium approached him and that's erstwhile the younger lad stabbed him successful the chest.
The 16-year-old claimed helium thought Amen was going to onslaught the older lad and that helium had his limb raised.
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Floral tributes to Amen were near connected a seat
The 2 teenagers rapidly near the country and claimed they did not cognize Amen had collapsed further down the street.
The older lad got connected a autobus portion the 16-year-old removed his blood-stained jogging bottoms and threw them implicit a wall.
He disposed of his limb adjacent a stream successful Kelvingrove Park past went home, but rapidly near again.
Checks of his telephone showed helium searched the net with presumption specified arsenic "stabbing execution complaint condemnation UK 14 years old" and "can you get distant with self-defence successful Glasgow successful a weapon fight".
His begetter called constabulary days aft Amen's decease fearing that his lad was involved.
The 17-year-old voluntarily walked into a constabulary presumption days aboriginal to archer officers what helium said had happened.
A post-mortem introspection revealed that the fatal coiled had been inflicted by a leaf which was 19 oregon 20cm long.
The tribunal heard that Amen would person experienced accelerated humor nonaccomplishment and that his wounded had been "unsurvivable."
Amen, who was primitively from Eritrea, lived with his begetter successful Glasgow and attended St Thomas Aquinas secondary schoolhouse successful Jordanhill.
He had been granted close to stay presumption successful the UK soon earlier his death.
After Amen's decease a vigil was held successful his memory astatine a shot parkland adjacent his location successful Scotstoun.
During the proceedings authoritative Adrian Stalker disputed the 16-year-old's claims of self-defence and called it a "murderous assault".
He asked the jury: "Do you deliberation erstwhile helium (the 16-year-old) stabbed Amen helium didn't cognize wherever helium was stabbing and not cognize wherever helium was going for?"
He said the the older teen "must person realised determination was a beardown hazard helium would beryllium getting progressive successful an brushwood wherever idiosyncratic could beryllium earnestly wounded and inactive chose to bash it".
But the 16-year-old's defence counsel, Brian McConnachie KC, said his lawsuit had tried to defuse the concern by telling Amen: "It's Ramadan, we don't request to bash this."
The KC said the 16-year-old was "not a misunderstood angel" but argued that Amen was "hunting" his client.
Defence counsel Iain McSporran KC, representing the 17-year-old, said his lawsuit had "no motive… and crucially nary knife".
He said the lad "did not laic a digit connected Amen Teklay" and that being astatine the country did not marque him guilty.
Amen was 'valued and cared about'
Some of Amen's realtives wept extracurricular tribunal arsenic a connection was work retired connected their behalf.
Jamie O'Neill, of Kingsway Community Connections, supported Amen and his household anterior to his death.
The connection said: "Our thoughts stay with Amen's household and nary tribunal process tin instrumentality distant the symptom of losing a child. They stay precise overmuch successful our thoughts this afternoon.
"Amen was much than the circumstances of his death. He was a young antheral who was known, valued and cared astir by truthful many.
"His nonaccomplishment has been felt profoundly not lone by those closest to him but by the radical crossed our community."
O'Neill said radical had travel unneurotic to enactment 1 different successful the aftermath of Amen's death.
But helium added: "We person besides seen the fear, sadness and uncertainty which unit leaves behind.
"Its interaction reaches acold beyond those progressive and it is felt by families, friends, neighbours and young radical crossed our country.
"We anticipation contiguous encourages much to bespeak connected what could beryllium done truthful that less young people, less families and less communities person to acquisition this benignant of loss."
O'Neill besides confirmed that the household planned to motorboat a instauration successful his sanction which would beryllium designed to promote young men to "follow affirmative paths and determination distant from violence".
The connection concluded: "While nary verdict tin undo the symptom of what has happened, we anticipation that Amen's bequest volition beryllium 1 of compassion, accidental and affirmative alteration for aboriginal generations."
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