Brothers guilty of Damilola killing

Diigo

The killers of schoolboy Damilola Taylor have been brought to justice - six years and three trials after his death. An Old Bailey jury took a day to convict the Preddie brothers - Ricky, 19, and Danny, 18 - of his manslaughter. They were arrested a few days after 10-year-old Damilola bled to death after being cut with a broken bottle near his home in Peckham, south London, on November 27, 2000.

But vital leads were missed by a forensic laboratory and investigators. The brothers, who were 12 and 13 at the time, were released without charge.

One was being monitored by the probation service at the time and the other was on bail and detained at a children's home. They were re-arrested last year when a second forensic laboratory re-examined clothing seized at the time and discovered spots of Damilola's blood along with fibres from his uniform.

The youths, also from Peckham, had denied the charge. They had been on conditional bail since April, when they were cleared of murder and assault with intent to rob.

The jury could not agree on manslaughter and the six-week retrial began in June.

After the verdicts were announced Ricky Preddie started shouting in the dock, accusing the jury of being corrupt. He was surrounded by around a dozen prison officers as he become increasingly upset and continued shouting and swearing.

He shouted: "You are corrupt. You are nothing." The judge, Mr Justice Goldring, said: "Take him down."

Ricky Preddie was taken out of court but his shouts could still be heard for some time. Danny Preddie, who had been trying to calm his brother down, looked shocked as he sat back down to listen to the rest of the proceedings.

Damilola's father Richard Taylor looked calm as he heard the verdict and through the commotion which followed. His mother Gloria looked down, one hand held to her cheek as the day she had waited for finally arrived.

Diigo