What does the 14-year-olds death tell us about Britains urban youth culture?
During the trial of Paul Erhahon’s killers it became clear the attack on him was partly linked to something as seemingly trivial as postcodes – in this case E11 and E15. The Old Bailey jury heard a rivalry existed in estates close to Leytonstone town centre. There was never any suggestion Paul was part of a gang himself and he appeared to be an innocent victim of the feud. Jurors heard Paul was talking to his friend in the foyer of a block of flats when he was summoned by a member of the gang – which quickly led to the mass assault involving teenagers armed with an array of weapons. Paul and his friend were unarmed and stood no chance. The violent flurry left Paul lifeless while his friend, who survived, was left “for dead”. Paul’s mother fled the courtroom in tears as the jury heard her son was beaten as he lay on the ground. At the Old Bailey, prosecutor Jonathan Turner QC said the teenager’s death resulted from a “senseless acts of gratuitous violence”. For an insight into the “sens
