An 'enforcer' who stabbed to death a Bromley teen during a robbery of a rival gang’s drug den has been jailed for life.
Taylor Williams, 18, was stabbed in the heart at a flat in Basingstoke, Hampshire, in August 2019.
Olamide Soyege, 29, of Dagenham, east London, was previously convicted at Winchester Crown Court of murder, robbery and conspiracy to rob.
Co-defendant Paige Taylor, 24, was jailed for seven years for the robbery offences and supplying Class A drugs.
During the trial, the jury was told that Williams was part of a London-based county lines drug network, and had been staying at a flat in Shooters Way, Basingstoke, when rivals from another drug network turned up and tried to rob him and his associates.
The judge, Mr Justice Spencer, said Soyege was an enforcer for a London-based gang and was sent on 31 August to eliminate competition from two rival drugs groups in Basingstoke.
The defendant, of Mayswood Gardens, robbed a drugs runner in Bermuda Close Park, and then attacked a second gang at Kingfisher House, driving a knife "up to the hilt" into Mr Williams' chest, he added.
Following the fight, Taylor escaped from the flat via a window but then realised he had been stabbed.
Paramedics found Taylor Williams injured following a call at 10.34pm that evening.
The defendants' accomplice, Terence Maccabee, 19, suffered serious stab wounds in the confrontation at Kingfisher House, the court heard.
Maccabee, of Radnor Road, Southwark, south London, will be sentenced at a later date having previously been found guilty of manslaughter, the two robbery offences and knife possession.
Following the sentence hearing, Detective Inspector Lee McClellan said: “This has been a challenging and complex case but the ultimate outcome is that Taylor Williams has tragically lost his life as a consequence of getting caught up in the dark and violent world of County Lines drugs networks.
“Taylor was only at the start of his young life and this tragedy will impact forever on the lives of his friends and family. We can only hope that the reality of Taylor’s death will make other young people think twice about getting involved in this brutal trade.
“I would like to thank the tenacity of the investigation team who worked tirelessly to bring this case before the courts.”
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