Damilola arrest boys bailed

More than a dozen teenagers have been held so far

Two teenagers arrested in connection with the death of 10-year-old schoolboy Damilola Taylor have been released on police bail.

It is the latest development in the police investigation into the death of Nigerian-born Damilola, who was stabbed in the leg as he walked home from an after-school computer class in Peckham, south east London.

Scotland Yard said a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old detained on Tuesday morning at addresses in Peckham have now been released on police bail until February.

An address in Southwark was also searched.

The boys have not been detained before and bring to 15 the total number of people arrested in connection with the case, all but one of them youngsters.

Police have not said whether the boys held on Tuesday were suspects or potential witnesses. They were taken to a police station in south London for questioning.

Witness appeal

The investigation into Damilola's death on 27 November is one of the the biggest in London has seen since the Jill Dando case.

Police have used a range of methods to encourage witnesses to come forward including projecting a 30ft image of the schoolboy onto a nightclub close to where he died.

They also appealed for a witness who rang Crimestoppers and said he had seen three black youths arguing with Damilola on the afternoon of his death, to contact detectives.

The youngster, who had only been living in Britain for a few months, is thought to have been bullied at school although police say this is not necessarily linked to his death.

The tragedy sparked a nationwide debate on policing, inner city deprivation and bullying in schools.