Four guilty of murder of Tavis Spencer-Aitkens in Ipswich gang feud

  • Anglia
Tavis Spencer-Aitkens was killed in June last year Credit: family photo

Four people have been found guilty of the gang-related murder of Suffolk teenager Tavis Spencer-Aitkens.

Six people have been on trial at Ipswich Crown Court over the killing in June last year.

Following 10 days of deliberations, a jury convicted Adebayo Amusa, 20, of Barking, Aristote Yenge, 23, of no fixed address, 17-year-old Kyreis Davies, from Colchester, and 19-year-old Isaac Calver, of Ipswich, of murder. Calver was the final defendant to be convicted and was led from the court in tears.

Callum Plaats, who is 23 and from Ipswich, was found guilty of a lesser charge of manslaughter.

Leon Glasgow, 42, of no fixed address, was cleared of all charges.

Tavis was 17 when he was stabbed to death by a group of men just yards from his home at Packard Avenue.

He was found covered in blood on the afternoon of 2 June 2018.

  • Watch a report on the trial and its aftermath by ITV News Anglia's Russell Hookey

A court heard it was the result of an ongoing feud between two rival gangs in Ipswich.

Tavis was believed to be a member of Neno, from the Nacton Road area of the town, and was the victim of a revenge attack by J Block from Jubilee Park.

During the three-month trial, the jury was told the teenager had been "butchered" to death by the group who had hunted him down "like a pack hunting prey".

The jury returned five of the six verdicts on Thursday, 14 March.

As Friday's final verdict was read out, Tavis' mother Sharon Box was heard saying "son, you will get your justice". Other family members were in tears.

Aristote Yenge, Kyreis Davies, Adebayo Amusa and Isaac Calver (left to right) were found guilty of murder and Callum Plaats (right) was found guilty of manslaughter. Credit: Suffolk Police

Gang culture played a significant part in the murder of Tavis Spencer-Aitkens and has raised question about how entrenched the problem of gangs is in Ipswich.

Many are asking what is being done to tackle the issue.

ITV News Anglia spoke to one young woman who was groomed by a gang and knows only too well how terrifying it can be.

  • Watch the report by ITV News Anglia's Tanya Mercer

The death of Tavis Spencer-Aitkens had a profound effect on the area he grew up in Ipswich.

Nine months on, local people have set up clubs and activities to help the area recover and re-build a sense of community.

Many are aimed at young people to try and give them self confidence and deter them from negative influences like gangs and drugs.