Amen Teklay: Youth Worker's Warnings Ignored Before Fatal Stabbing
A devastated youth worker has revealed he begged authorities to help tragic schoolboy Amen Teklay before he was killed in a fatal stabbing. Jamie O'Neill, 39, slammed police and social workers over missed chances to save the 15-year-old, claiming he warned them of 'rapidly escalating violence' towards him. Jamie, who runs Kingsway Community Centre in Glasgow, said he made the desperate plea after viewing sickening clips of Amen being attacked in the days before his death.
Amen succumbed to his injuries after being knifed in Maryhill's George's Cross area on March 5 last year. Two boys, aged 16 and 17, were cleared of his murder on Monday following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
Jamie told the Record: 'I was sent footage of Amen being attacked. One was from three days before his death and the other was from three weeks earlier. I immediately reported this to the police and social workers. I warned them that violence towards him by a gang called TCB was escalating rapidly. The videos clearly showed targeted attacks - yet nothing was done. Opportunities were missed to tackle this violence and opportunities were missed to prevent Amen's death.'
Harrowing Final Days: Video Clips Show Attacks on Amen
The harrowing final days of Amen Teklay's life were laid bare in shocking video clips. Footage shared exclusively with the Daily Record shows two separate attacks on the 15-year-old in the lead up to his tragic death. Just 72 hours before he died in a fatal blade attack, the schoolboy was filmed being chased by three masked boys with huge knives in Glasgow's west end. The chilling clip shows Amen running away from the gang on Dumbarton Road during a terrifying late-night pursuit. As he fled, the trio charged after him wielding massive machetes, one of which was a large red blade similar to one described in court statements.
Other footage, filmed three weeks earlier, shows Amen being set upon by four male youths on Glasgow's Great Western Road. Those involved in the brutal daylight attack cornered the schoolboy against a shop window. The group pounced on him, savagely beating his face and head before he fell to the ground as the mob continued to batter him. The distressing clip then shows Amen managing to get back onto his feet before the attack was broken up by a member of the public.
Gang War Footsoldier Snared by Dropped Hankie
A dopey gangland hood who targeted the home of a rival's grandmother was snared after he dropped a hankie at the front door. Marcus Laidley-Sobers, 29, turned up at the property with his face masked and carrying a weapon, attempting to enter the home in the Ravelston area of Edinburgh. He repeatedly rattled the front door handle but was forced to flee when his bungled attempts were caught on Ring doorbell footage. Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told Laidley-Sobers was later identified by his DNA after he had dropped a tissue at the front door as he left the area on March 20 last year.
He pleaded guilty to an amended charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner while armed with a weapon when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month. An allegation of him holding an object that appeared to be a firearm was amended to being in possession of a weapon before the guilty plea was accepted. Prosecutor Eildih Grant said despite initial reports that Laidley-Sobers had been in possession of a gun, the Crown had 'no evidence there was a firearm' involved. Laidley-Sobers returned to the dock for sentencing today where Sheriff Alison Stirling jailed him for 21 months and imposed a supervised release order for a further 10 months and three weeks on his release from custody.
Scots Cop Abused Girlfriend for Five Years
A police officer has been convicted of subjecting a former girlfriend to a five-year campaign of abuse. PC Scott Ritchie, 36, struck up a relationship with the 36-year-old nurse after they matched on dating app Tinder. But patterns of disturbing behaviour emerged and he began to control almost every aspect of her life. He would accuse her of cheating with other men, become jealous when male friends liked her photos online and make comments on her appearance.
The abuse took place in various locations in Lanarkshire and during a holiday in Spain, where he turned up uninvited. In one incident, Ritchie burst into a bathroom and poured a pot of freezing cold water over her, leaving her feeling humiliated. Throughout their relationship he bombarded her with phone calls and texts, demanded she spend time with him over her friends and repeatedly turned up at her door uninvited. He also filmed her while she was drunk and 'acting erratically' at a party after he had prepared drinks for her. Ritchie, of Motherwell, Lanarkshire, denied any wrongdoing and went on trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court. But he sobbed in the dock as he was convicted of breaching domestic abuse laws between April 2019 and October 2024. Sentence was deferred until next month for reports and Ritchie had his bail continued. Prosecutors are seeking a non-harassment order banning him from contacting his victim.
Drunk Driver Jailed for Killing Teen Who Texted 'I May Not Survive'
A speeding drink-driver has been caged after causing the death of a teenager who messaged 'I may not survive' while a passenger in his car. Erin Slane, 19, was in the car driven by Kyle Patrick when they crashed into a field in Perthshire on September 1, 2024, after he drove the vehicle at 'grossly excessive speeds'. The court previously heard that Erin messaged friends during the journey saying 'I may not survive tonight. I'm scared. Kyle is steaming'. Patrick, 23, pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing to causing her death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury to another passenger. He admitted repeatedly driving at 'grossly excessive speeds' on the journey towards Gowrie Farm in Perthshire. Patrick subsequently lost control of the vehicle, which crossed on to the opposite carriageway, went down an embankment, hit a fence and rolled over several times in a field. Erin was so seriously injured she died at the scene while a fellow passenger was left seriously injured. Lord Harrower sentenced Patrick to eight years behind bars when he appeared for sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday.
Audi 'Failed to Stop for Armed Cops' in Edinburgh
A man has been arrested after 'failing to stop' for armed police in Edinburgh. The vehicle was stopped on the capital's Leith Street at 10.50am on Wednesday, July 8. The driver, a 34-year-old man, was arrested on a warrant. He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, July 9. Images taken from the scene show a significant police presence in the area. One passer-by told our sister title Edinburgh Live: 'Two police vans, one traffic car and one armed response car forced white Audi to stop on Leith Street. Van reversed up to front bumper to block it in. Both directions down to one lane, outside John Lewis.'
