Four men who fled to Portugal after the murder of 16-year-old John Soyoye in Moston have been jailed after admitting manslaughter. The men returned to the UK following extradition proceedings and were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court this summer.
Murder during second lockdown
John Soyoye was murdered on November 5, 2020, the day the second national lockdown came into force. The 16-year-old college student, who had a passion for music, was part of a loving family with two older brothers. Born in Germany, John and his family had made a home in Manchester.
Despite his age, he was regarded as the leader of a street gang called the M40, based in Moston. He was also an up-and-coming rapper known by the nicknames 'Morsley' or 'MD'. The gang was not previously on Greater Manchester Police's radar before his killing at the hands of a rival outfit, Representing the Danger (RTD), based in Rochdale and Oldham.
Feud sparked by city centre stabbing
An incident in Manchester city centre on November 5 set the feud in motion. At about 2.40pm, the brother of Francesco Raji, a member of the RTD, and Christopher Semedo, another RTD member, were in the city centre when they were spotted by members of M40. Raji's brother was attacked and stabbed by M40 members in Piccadilly Gardens.
John Soyoye was not one of the attackers, but he filmed part of the incident and posted the footage on social media. Raji wanted revenge, and that night a group of 13 RTD members travelled by tram to Moston. They were hunting for John. A member of the public was challenged and ordered to remove a coronavirus mask to identify himself, but they had the wrong person.
On Kenyon Lane, the RTD charged at their rivals, holding weapons including machetes, knives, a stick and a bat. John was wielding a machete as he became involved in a knife fight with 19-year-old Brent Tchipenda. The M40 were overwhelmed, and John, wounded and isolated, was chased down. He dropped his machete, tried to flag down a passing car, and stumbled on nearby Birchenall Street, where he was surrounded and stabbed, punched and kicked.
28-second attack
The attack lasted 28 seconds. For the first seven seconds John was on his feet, but he was unable to offer any more resistance. As the attackers fled, a woman saw John slumped on the floor and comforted him as he took his last breath. Police arrived at 7.10pm, but he had been stabbed 15 times and died.
Tchipenda was arrested after turning up at the Royal Oldham Hospital with stab wounds, claiming he had been injured while playing with fireworks. Others were caught later.
Three trials and convictions
Following a trial in 2021, seven defendants were found guilty of John's murder and one of manslaughter. At a second trial in 2022, 10 men said to be associated with the M40 were accused of conspiracy to murder. The prosecution alleged some had been involved in sourcing weapons and going out to locate and attack RTD members, while others identified who should be attacked and obtained information about their whereabouts.
The 2022 trial ended with four young men convicted of conspiracy to murder and six convicted of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm. Seven of the 10 defendants took their cases to the Court of Appeal. Ademola Adedeji, a young man with no previous convictions who was described as a 'talented sportsman' who attended church, had his conviction quashed after fresh evidence emerged. A man submitted a statement saying a video identified as being of Adedeji was actually of him. The new evidence 'undermines the claim that the applicant was part of a violent street gang called M40', his barrister said. Kier Monteith KC claimed 'institutional racism' helped to 'explain what went wrong in this case'. Two other defendants, Raymond Savi and Omolade Okoya, had their jail terms reduced after appeals.
Meanwhile, police continued their investigation. It became clear that four of John's killers had fled to Portugal. Emerson Teta, Ruben Candiza, Valdo De-Almeida and Marco Veiga left on a flight to Lisbon the day after the murder. They remained at large until their arrests this year following extradition proceedings.
Guilty pleas to manslaughter
All four were flown back to Heathrow Airport and driven to Central Park police station in north Manchester for questioning. They faced trial at Manchester Crown Court this summer, accused of murder and violent disorder. Three weeks into the trial, as the prosecution neared the end of its case, they changed their pleas to guilty and admitted manslaughter. They were acquitted of murder.
The court heard the four were not involved in the attack on John, though they accepted they were each armed with a weapon: Candiza with a knife, De-Almeida with a baseball bat, Veiga with a machete or curved knife, and Teta with a knife. De-Almeida initially began to film the attack on his mobile phone before fleeing.
Sentencing judge Elizabeth Nicholls said the case demonstrated the 'glorification of the tragedy of gang culture'. Speaking of the attack, she said: "There can be no doubt, any innocent bystander would have been terrified by what unfolded. All of you were holding potentially lethal weapons." She said the four were to be distinguished from others convicted of John's murder, as they did not participate in the attack. "You could have easily joined in," she told them. "However, you still bear responsibility for the death of John Soyoye. You answered the call to arms, you armed yourselves and you knew others were similarly armed. This incident was clearly a planned attack, the backdrop to this was violent gang rivalry on the streets of Manchester."
Prosecutor Andrew Haslam KC, who led the case in both the 2021 murder trial and the more recent trial, said the decision to accept the pleas had been made following consultations with those at the 'highest level' of the Crown Prosecution Service. The case was pursued on the basis that the four men provided 'assistance and or encouragement' to the principal offenders.
At least one more suspect remains in Portugal. Following the conclusion of the latest proceedings, Detective Inspector Neil Higginson from GMP's Serious Crime Division said: "John Soyoye tragically lost his life in a brutal and senseless attack. While a number of those responsible were brought to justice in 2022, our investigation never stopped. We remained committed to locating those who had fled the country in an attempt to evade justice. Through close collaboration with the National Crime Agency and our international policing partners, these men have now been returned to the UK to face the consequences of their actions. I hope these latest sentences provide John's family and loved ones with some further sense that justice has been served. Our thoughts remain with them as they continue to live with the devastating impact of his murder."
Sentences from the trials
At the 2021 trial, all defendants except Mohammed Al-Jaf were found guilty of murder and violent disorder. Brent Tchipenda, now 23, of Wistaria Road, Gorton, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years. Christopher Semedo, now 27, of Elm Road, Oldham, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years. Francesco Raji, now 24, of Elm Road, Oldham, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years. Octavio Antonio, now 24, of Deepdale Court, Moston, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years. Ismael Correia, now 24, of Cavanagh Close, Ardwick, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 20-and-a-half years. Nelson Correia, now 26, of Petworth Road, Oldham, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 23-and-a-half years. A 16-year-old boy was jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years. Al-Jaf, now 25, of Bradney Close, Blackley, was convicted of manslaughter and violent disorder and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
At the 2022 trial, Oni, Ojo, Kalumda and Jitobah were found guilty of conspiracy to murder. Thorne, Thomas, Adedaji, Okoya, Savi and Okunula were found guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. Adedaji had his conviction quashed on appeal. Gideon Kalumda, now 24, of William Lister Close, Newton Heath, was sentenced to 18 years with a three year extended licence. Jeffery Ojo, now 25, of Newick Walk, Blackley, was sentenced to 18 years with a three year extended licence. Harry Oni, now 23, of Mythorn Walk, Ardwick, was sentenced to 18 years with a three year extended licence for conspiracy to commit murder. Brooklyn Jitoboh, now 22, of Bluestone Road, Moston, was sentenced to 17 years with a three year extended licence. Simon Thorne, now 23, of Rhine Drive, Salford, was sentenced to eight years. Martin Thomas Junior, now 23, of Broadoak Road, Wythenshawe, was sentenced to eight years. Omolade Okoya, now 23, of Whitecar Avenue, New Moston, was sentenced to eight years, reduced to four-and-a-half years on appeal. Raymond Savi, now 23, of Droylsden Road, Failsworth, was sentenced to eight years, reduced to four-and-a-half years on appeal. Azim Okunola, now 23, of Silvercroft Street, Manchester, was sentenced to eight years.
At the third trial, all defendants pleaded guilty to the alternative charge of manslaughter. Ruben Candiza, 26, of Appleby Walk, Royton, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months. Valdo De-Almeida, 27, of Brierley Street, Oldham, was sentenced to 10 years and two months. Marco Veiga, 25, of Burnsall Grove, Royton, Oldham, was sentenced to 10 years and three months. Emerson Teta, 25, of Chestnut Crescent, Oldham, was sentenced to 10 years and five months.
