By Eniola Amadu
Two teenagers are to stand trial accused of murdering a 15-year-old boy in a sword attack on a Glasgow street earlier this year.
The victim, identified as Amen Teklay, was found seriously injured on Clarendon Street in the St George’s Cross area on 5 March and later died from his injuries. Two boys, aged 15 and 16, have denied the murder charge.
At a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow, prosecutors alleged that the pair, both masked at the time, chased and attacked Amen using a sword and a frying pan. The court has set the trial date for June next year.
The 15-year-old also faces a separate charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice. It is claimed he disposed of a sword, blood-stained clothing, and tracksuit bottoms in an effort to avoid “detection, arrest and prosecution.”
Court documents indicate the killing followed earlier confrontations between the accused and the victim. Prosecutors said the 15-year-old and two others previously attacked Amen on Great Western Road on 12 February.
He is also accused of acting in a “threatening and abusive manner” towards the victim just three days before the alleged murder, during which he allegedly brandished a sword and metal barrier while shouting and swearing.
Defence lawyers Brian McConnachie KC and Iain McSporran KC entered not guilty pleas on behalf of their clients. McConnachie told the court that his client would lodge a special defence of self-defence in response to the murder charge.
Judge Lord Scott also raised an “Osman warning” during the hearing — a police alert issued when there is credible information that a person’s life may be in danger — although no further details were disclosed.
“There is a significant background between my client and the deceased about a variety of matters,” McConnachie said, noting that the charges span a period of several weeks.
Amen, who was originally from Eritrea, had been living in Glasgow with his father for several years. Following his death, a memorial service was held at Kinning Park Parish Church, and his body was later flown to Ethiopia for burial.
