A teenager has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a 15-year-old boy in a park located in north London.

Deshaun James Tuitt was tragically stabbed in Highbury Fields, Islington, just before 21:00 BST on August 4, 2022.

The 17-year-old perpetrator, whose identity is withheld due to legal restrictions, was convicted of the murder in February.

On Friday, he received a life sentence with a minimum of 15 years, which was adjusted to account for the 598 days he has already spent in custody, at the Old Bailey.

During sentencing, Judge Angela Rafferty KC remarked: “You took Deshaun’s life. You have been in custody for 598 days, and you know what the outcome would be.”

The defendant displayed no visible reaction as the sentence was delivered.

The court was informed that the defendant had gone to the park accompanied by a group of young individuals while armed with a large knife and wearing a mask.

Police described him as someone who was “looking for trouble.”

Deshaun had been participating in a friend’s birthday celebration at the park when he was confronted.

In the course of a scuffle, he sustained a stab wound to the chest that penetrated 17 cm (6.7 inches) deep, as previously mentioned in court.

After managing to approach officers, he urgently informed them, “Officer, I’ve been stabbed,” before collapsing and succumbing to his injuries.

The defense attorney, Michael Magarian KC, contended that the defendant had only recently turned 15 at the time of the stabbing and that the act was more impulsive than planned.

He referenced a challenging upbringing and noted that there were concerns about the defendant being susceptible to exploitation by older criminals.

Judge Rafferty expressed that she did not believe the court had received the complete account of what transpired that day; however, it was evident that the teenager had armed himself with a substantial knife and taken it into a crowded public park.

The judge acknowledged that while the murder wasn’t premeditated, she was convinced that the defendant had the intention to inflict serious injury on Deshaun.

“He was only 15 as well,” she pointed out. “You walked by him and must have seen the treatment he was receiving. He is deceased now.”

Deshaun’s father was too overwhelmed to present a victim impact statement in court.

Earlier in the proceedings, prosecutor Danny Robinson KC informed the court that the defendant had a history of three prior convictions for five offenses.

These included two robberies in July 2022, during which victims were threatened for their mobile phones and other valuables.

Judge Rafferty noted that the defendant’s earlier convictions for robbery that occurred just prior to the murder further compounded the seriousness of his actions.