TEENAGER Shakilus Townsend was cornered in a cul-de-sac and then attacked by a gang of youths, the Old Bailey heard today (April 22).

A jury at the court heard how the 16-year-old, of Tanners Hill, Deptford, was led into the area by his two-timing girlfriend and set upon by at least three boys who had been tracking him from Thornton Heath.

The attack happened at just after 1.30pm on July 3 last year and was allegedly carried out by members of the Shine My Nine gang.

Tyrell Vito Ellis, aged 19, and 18-year-olds Danny McLean and Andre Johnson-Haynes are charged with murder along with a 16-year-old girl and three 17-year-old boys who cannot be named for legal reasons.

They all deny the charge.

Shakilus had been going out with a girl, who was 15 at the time, for about two months.

She was also seeing one of the accused, McLean.

The prosecution said mobile phone records show that the girl was in direct contact with McLean while she was with Shakilus.

There were nine calls between McLean and the girl in the space of about 20 minutes before the attack.

The girl said she and Shakilus planned to spend the day together at a friend’s house but changed their minds when they found out that his friend’s mother would be home.

They got off a bus in Beulah Crescent, Thornton Heath.

CCTV images were shown to the jury of the gang following him from Thornton Heath, along Northwood Road into Spa Hill and then back again.

Jury members were told how witnesses describe seeing a group of youths running down Osborne Gardens into Osborne Road shouting: “He’s there, he’s there. Get him, get him.”

Sharon Simpson, who bravely tried to save Shakilus’s life, saw the attack unfold from the window of her flat.

The prosecution said she saw two of the three people attacking him by beating him and kicking him.

She said: “The shorter one of the three was hitting him with a wooden baseball bat, as well as kicking him. Shakilus was screaming and trying to protect himself with his arms and hands.”

Miss Simpson shouted out of her window for the boys to stop.

Despite her fear, she ran out of her flat and asked the youths what they were doing.

The boy with the baseball bat ignored her and carried on hitting Shakilus with the bat, the jury was told.

One of the other youths ran off and then the other two followed him more slowly.

The prosecution said: “Despite being mortally wounded, Shakilus got up and staggered towards her before falling into the entrance to her flats.

“He was struggling to breathe and when the others went to his aid, Shakilus fell unconscious.

“Just before doing so he was crying for his mother, and he was frightened, telling those around him that he did not want to die.”

Witnesses said the youths ran off towards Beulah Crescent and the main road.

Paramedics were at the scene within minutes and rushed the wounded teen to St George’s Hospital, Tooting.

His heart stopped as the ambulance pulled into the grounds.

The doctor and paramedics with him were forced to perform emergency surgery on him there to get his heart going.

Surgeons operating on him later found a deep cut through Shakilus’s liver and several arteries, where he had been stabbed.

The wound led to massive blood loss, Shakilus’s heart stopped another three times and he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight on July 4.

The trial continues.