"Chef him, chef him..." boy, 17, 'brutally murdered' in revenge attack, jury hears

A teenager was 'brutally murdered' when a group of men targeting one of his friends found him on the street, a jury has heard. Kyle Hackland, 17, was stabbed to death on Southlea Road in Withington last November.

Manchester Crown Court heard that his alleged killers believed one of them had been set up by Mr Hackland's friend, after one was robbed during a drug deal. Prosecutors said that Mr Hackland had nothing to do with the robbery.

"It is clear that all four intended to exact revenge," prosecutor Mark Rhind KC said. "They were armed with knives and had balaclavas or face coverings, they were searching south Manchester intending to attack him, or, tragically for Kyle Hackland, anyone they associated with him."

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Yousef Sesay, 18, Lewis Ludford, also 18, a 17-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy, who both cannot be named for legal reasons, are all standing trial accused of murder. They have pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors said that shortly before Mr Hackland was attacked, at about 11.30am on November 22 last year, the windscreen of a Mercedes outside his friend's house was smashed. Mr Rhind said that the attackers, allegedly Mr Ludford and the 16-year-old, 'wrongly' believed the car belonged to Mr Hackland's friend.

Shortly after, the 17-year-old, driving a stolen VW Golf carrying the other three defendants, stopped on Southlea Road near Mr Hackland and his friend, the court heard. His friend took out a large knife and ran towards the defendants before leaving the area, Mr Rhind said.

Jurors heard that Mr Hackland knew all of the four defendants, and appeared 'unconcerned' by their presence. Jurors were told that a few weeks earlier, Mr Hackland,