The jury reached a verdict on five teenagers accused of killing Junior Osborne

A 16-year-old boy has been found guilty of murdering Junior Osborne in Leicester’s West End last year. Four other teenagers were also found guilty for their role in the murder.

The young man, who cannot be named because of his age, was caught on three different CCTV cameras speeding across Narborough Road, narrowly avoiding being hit by a car, before plunging the knife into the throat of Mr Osborne, aged 50 years, from behind. Mr Osborne was seen tripping off his bike and falling to the ground after the attack, for which Leicestershire Police have not discovered a clear motive.

At the time of the attack, four other youths were on the opposite side cheering the boy on and they were all jointly charged with murder. The jury found the four not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter and all five were found guilty of possessing a blade in public.

READ MORE: Teenager who stabbed Junior Osborne in Leicester did not mean to cause serious injury, jury heard

The incident took place on Wednesday, September 27, just after 9:30 p.m. The five had been following Mr Osborne in the minutes leading up to the fatal attack. The next day, the first three of the five were arrested – two 16-year-old boys and James Williams, 18, of Pelham Way, Leicester city centre.

Police later arrested Moises Steiner, 18, of Dovedale Road, Thurmaston, and Theobald Budzwa, known as Thendo, 18, of Ash Court, Groby. The jury came out to deliberate on their verdicts on Friday after about five weeks of evidence and returned their decisions today.

Evidence at the trial at Leicester Crown Court included videos the defendants made of each other playing and posing with large knives. At the time of the murder, an older man was with them – and helped prompt Mr Osborne to stop his bike on the pavement in Narborough Road just before his was attacked.

Police offered a £20,000 reward but he was never identified. The youth told the jury the man was known as “DJ” but did not know where he lived.

According to the 16-year-old who killed Mr Osborne, the older man forced him to attack Mr Osborne, threatening to hurt the young man’s family if he refused. The youth, who said he had regularly carried a knife since he was 12, told the jury he only intended to stab the victim in the shoulder.

Detective Inspector Mark Parish, the senior investigating officer, said: “One of the boys admitted stabbing Junior but tried to argue that he only intended to injure him and not kill him, which I don’t think is true.

“His actions – along with the rest of the group – were caught on CCTV. I firmly believe this was a planned and coordinated attack to kill Junior. I hope his loved ones feel that justice has been done and that the group will now serve substantial prison terms.”

All five are due to be sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday, June 11.