Men guilty of 'peacemaker' murder

Wilson, Brooks and Olu went to a car to get knives before the attack Robert 'so young and beautiful'

Three men have been found guilty of killing a teenager who was acting as a peacemaker in a fight.

Robert Spence, 17, of Burghfield Common, left a club in Reading with six friends on 2 May 2008 when one of the group got into a fight.

He tried to intervene but he and friend Emmanuel Connor, 23, were stabbed when a fresh row erupted with another group.

Three men from Bristol were convicted of murder and attempted murder. Another was cleared at Reading Crown Court.

Nicholas Olu, 31, of Sydenham Road, Leon Wilson, 32, of Firfield Street, and David Brooks, 33, of no fixed abode, who had denied murder and attempted murder, will be sentenced later.

Carlton Miles, 28, Bridge Street, was found not guilty of both charges.

Halfway through the trial, on 20 March, Jamal Powell, 28, was acquitted of all charges and released by Judge Zoe Smith.

Robert Spence was stabbed as he tried to help a friend

The prosecution said after Robert, whose nickname was Junior, and his friends left the Mango Bar at about 0330 on 2 May, one of the group became embroiled in a fight.

Robert had to restrain his friend and in the fracas another friend was bottled and stumbled into the five defendants, jurors heard.

Olu, Wilson and Brooks then went to a car to arm themselves with knives before attacking Robert and Mr Connor.

Robert and his friend managed to get a taxi to hospital after the stabbing.

Mr Connor had one litre of blood removed from his chest cavity due to his stab wounds and survived but Robert's injuries included a fatal wound to his heart and he was later pronounced dead, jurors heard.

'Mindless murder'

Robert's sister Marcia Blake said: "I think they are evil, horrible, dirty animals.

"To do this to a young boy, and as to why they have done it we'll never know.

"He was a very loving and caring person - so young and beautiful.

"Every day you think about him, the family is not complete any more."

Sandra Blake, Robert's mother, said: "I don't know how I would have coped if no-one had been held accountable for his mindless murder.

Robert Spence's father, Paul, speaks out about knife crime after the verdict

"Junior's life was cut tragically short at the age of just 17. He died unnecessarily that night.

"It's the family and friends that will be affected long after the verdict in this trial.

"These men are almost old enough to be Junior's father - some may have children of their own.

"He just didn't deserve to die at their hands like that."

Speaking outside the court, Robert's father, Paul Spence, said: "It is something in life you don't want to go through. [We] don't want the next family to go through what we went through.

"It is something that we will never ever forget and Junior will never, ever be forgotten.

"[Knife crime] is one thing you will never stop - but we can try."