Three teenagers found guilty of Uber Eats driver's 'senseless' killing

2 January 2020, 13:55 | Updated: 2 January 2020, 14:08

Three teenagers have been found guilty of killing an Uber Eats delivery driver while he tried to prevent his moped from being stolen.

A group of young men set upon 46-year-old Iderval Da Silva with "fists and feet" in Battersea, west London, in May last year.

Mr Da Silva was left unconscious after being punched and kicked by youths.

He died three days later from a bleed on the brain.

Jadan Richards, 19, from Wandsworth, and a 16-year-old boy were found guilty of murder following an Old Bailey trial.

A separate 17-year-old was found guilty of manslaughter but cleared of murder.

Prosecutor Tony Badenoch QC had told the trial how the Brazilian delivery driver had parked his scooter outside a Battersea cafe on 25 May last year.

The young men spotted the unattended moped and attempted to snatch it, he said.

When Mr Da Silva tried to stop him, he was set upon with "fists and feet."

Mr Badenoch told jurors: "It was a momentary explosion of short-lived violence which killed Mr Da Silva."

The jury took more than 20 hours to reach its verdicts.

Jasire Frazer, 18, from Wandsworth, and a 17-year-old were cleared of murder and the alternative charge of manslaughter.

Another 17-year-old boy was cleared on the judge's direction midway through the trial.

Judge Mark Dennis QC adjourned sentencing until 5 February.

Sally-Anne Russell, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "This is a tragic case of a man who died trying to protect his property. However, faced with the youths he was outnumbered.

"Witnesses watched on in horror as the unprovoked attack unfolded. They rushed to Mr Da Silva's aid after the attackers fled, but the level of violence was such that a few days later Mr Da Silva died from his injuries.

"This was a senseless loss of life. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr Da Silva."

Detective Inspector Tariq Farooqi, who led the investigation, said: "Iderval was targeted purely because he was the owner of the scooter. When he tried to prevent his livelihood from being taken away from him, the violence then ensued.

"They were ferocious and heartless in the way they attacked him.

"The attackers, who are all known to each other, clearly set out that day to commit crime. Because of this, a family have lost a truly loved individual who was trying to provide for his son and extended family members."