Boy, 14, among five teenagers jailed for combined 83 years over Keon Lincoln's killing

29 November 2021, 13:40 | Updated: 29 November 2021, 15:48

A group of teenagers who killed a 15-year-old boy in Birmingham have been jailed for a combined 83 years.

Keon Lincoln was shot and stabbed in the stomach during a gun and knife attack in January.

Jurors heard how he suffered eight sharp force injuries and a fatal wound to his abdomen from one of two gunshots fired on the afternoon of the 21st.

Yussuf Mustapha, 14, can now be named after a judge lifted a ban on reporting his identity.

He was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years.

Co-defendants Tahjgeem Breakenridge and Michael Ugochukwu, both 18, were given life for murder with a minimum term of 19 years.

A 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was ordered to be detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure and serve at least 17 years.

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Teens jailed for a combined 83 years for murder of Keon Lincoln

Prior to sentence, Keon's mother submitted a statement to the court in which she said she was "in a nightmare that I cannot wake up from."

In the statement, read to the court by prosecution barrister Michael Burrows QC, the victim's mother, who witnessed her son lying injured in the street after hearing gunfire, said: "The gunshots will forever ring in my ears, knowing that one of them ultimately ended my son's life.

"No reason for me can ever justify such an evil act."

Describing how she recalled comments made on the day of the murder and could see an image of her "beautiful boy's body being lowered into the ground," she said "heartless, evil monsters" had left her with thoughts and emotions she would have to live with for the rest of her life.

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Passing sentence, Lord Justice William Davis said the murder had been "carefully planned and executed" using a revolver and a car stolen for use in the killing.

"It's quite clear that all who came from the car were party to the use of the gun," the judge said.

The judge added: "When a 15-year-old boy is killed in that way the first question will be why? That question has never been answered.

"That does not mean that the murder of Keon was motiveless. It simply means that neither the jury nor I have any notion of what the motive was."