Two teenagers have been convicted of savagely stabbing a young man to death as he ran for his life following a dispute between feuding families.
Ryan Wedderburn, 18, of Windlass Place, Lewisham, and Kirk Harris, 19, of Upper Brockley Road, Lewisham, were convicted on Tuesday, 13 May, of the murder of 21-year-old Robert Robinson following a trial at the Old Bailey.
They will all be sentenced at the same court on Thursday, May 15.
Police were called at about 10:35 p.m. on Thursday, 6 June 2024, to reports of a stabbing in Carteret Way, SE8. Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended, but despite their best efforts, the victim, later identified as Robert, died at the scene.
He had suffered 12 serious stab wounds, including injuries indicating he tried to defend himself from the attackers.
The court heard that on 6 June 2024, Robert had been with some friends who lived near Wedderburn. Those friends and the Wedderburn family had been close friends until October 2022, when they had a falling out. Tensions had been brewing since that time, with it coming to a head on 6 June 2024.
Earlier that day, one of Robert’s friends allegedly had his bike stolen by a man who was known to be friends with Wedderburn.
The victim wanted his bike back, so the friends, Robert and a group, went to Wedderburn’s house, hoping they would find the bike and the person who stole it. There was no answer, so the group eventually left the address.
Some of the group then allegedly damaged two cars belonging to the Wedderburn family.
Shortly afterwards, Wedderburn and Harris left the property in Windlass Place armed with knives and walked to nearby Carteret Way, SE8.
When the defendants arrived at the property in Carteret Way, one of the friends, their mother, and Robert spotted them approaching with the knives and ran away. The friend’s mother was on the phone to 999 at the time, reporting the earlier theft of the bike and her son being threatened. Robert was chased and overpowered by Wedderburn and Harris, who carried out a savage attack on him.
Wedderburn and Harris then fled on foot and got into a waiting pre-arranged taxi, which was booked by a friend who was acquitted by the jury of perverting the course of justice.
Officers quickly arrived, and witnesses named Wedderburn as one of those involved. A 44-year-old man was arrested near the scene shortly afterwards on suspicion of murder. He was acquitted by the jury.
Knowing they were wanted, Harris and Wedderburn handed themselves into the police on 17 June and 19 June 2024, respectively.
Detectives tirelessly scoured CCTV from the area, which clearly showed not only the attack but also the defendants being at the scene. The defendants were tracked from the scene, and CCTV footage showed they had discarded clothing and weapons.
This led to searches of the Thames, which recovered clothing worn during the attack and some of the murder weapons.
The defendants admitted their presence and all gave evidence in their defence, attempting to justify their actions on the day. Both Wedderburn and Harris admitted to stabbing Robert, with Wedderburn claiming self-defence and Harris claiming he did not intend to cause serious harm.
However, CCTV captured Wedderburn and Harris arming themselves with knives and running along the corridor of the building before turning back and arranging for a cab to be booked, in which they later fled the scene.
This evidence led to the defendants being charged and convicted.
An 18-year-old man is due to stand trial in January 2026, charged with Robert’s murder. A 23-year-old man is due to stand trial in October 2026, charged with perverting the course of justice.
