Two teenagers guilty of killing ex-Nottingham Forest academy player Sekou Doucoure

Two teenagers have been found guilty of killing a former Nottingham Forest academy player, who was just 16 years old.

The victim, Sekou Doucoure, was stabbed to death at an Esso petrol station on Nursery Road, Lozells, on 12 July last year.

Pierre Thomas, 18, from Birmingham, was found guilty of manslaughter and possessing a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. 

A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of manslaughter and possessing a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. 

Neither of them had stabbed Sekou and the man who did remains on the run, the court heard. 

Minutes earlier he had been shot at by a rival as he was riding an electric scooter before being pursued through the streets, a trial at Coventry Crown Court heard.

Sekou, a keen footballer who once played for Nottingham Forest FC's academy, was knifed in the chest with an eight-inch blade.

It was said Sekou, whose family moved to the UK from Spain in 2015, was part of a gang connected to the B20 area of Handsworth Wood. 

The court heard he had strayed into "enemy territory" armed with a knife to confront rivals affiliated with the B6 and B19 areas of Aston and Newtown.

Around half an hour before he was killed Sekou was involved in an incident at the junction of Farm Street and Villa Street.

There he encountered Thomas, who "G-checked" him - tried to establish who he was - before pulling out a handgun. 

CCTV captured Sekou stumble backwards off his electric scooter and run from the scene holding a knife in his hand, while Thomas fired twice towards him.

At around 6:30pm, a member of the chasing pack found Sekou near the Esso garage and the two had a knife fight before they ran across the road to the forecourt where Sekou was stabbed in the chest. 

Mark Heywood, prosecuting, said: "As he passed the petrol station an older man emerged from the same alleyway from which Doucoure had come himself. 

"This man was armed with a knife with an eight-inch blade. Doucoure was also armed with a knife similar in length. It seemed that it had a blade that had holes along the length of it.

"The two men confronted one another and began to fight, lunging at each other with the knives they were carrying. They carried on fighting across the road onto the petrol station forecourt. 

"The older man stumbled and fell to the floor but quickly regained his footing and gained the upper hand and put Doucoure to the floor.

"Then, as Doucoure lay helplessly on the ground, he stabbed him in the chest inflicting a deep wound which penetrated the two main blood vessels leading to the heart, causing catastrophic blood loss.

"The wound was unsurvivable and Sekou Doucoure died at the scene within minutes of the blow."

Mr Heywood added: "In this case, there's evidence that may indicate at least in part the reasons why this murder took place.

"This evidence relates to criminal gangs. I'm conscious that term maybe very emotive."

The pair will be sentenced at a later date yet to be confirmed.

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