Four fugitives who fled to Portugal days after a teenager died in a fatal gang revenge attack in Moston have been handed jail terms. Ruben Candiza, 26; Valdo De-Almeida, 27; Marco Veiga, 25; and Emerson Teta, 25, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Manchester Crown Court after changing their pleas three weeks into their trial. They were all cleared of murder.
Background of the attack
The attack occurred on November 5, 2020, when two rival gangs — the Moston-based 'M40' gang and the Rochdale and Oldham gang, Representing the Danger (RTD) — clashed on the streets of Moston. Sixteen-year-old Alexander John Soyoye, known as John, was killed in the revenge attack. The catalyst was the stabbing of a relative of Francesco Raji, said to be a member of M40, in Piccadilly Gardens earlier that afternoon.
Six members of the RTD gang were previously convicted of John's murder in 2022 and sentenced to life imprisonment. They include Francesco Raji, Christopher Semedo, Nelson Correia, Ismiel Correia, Brent Tchipenda, and Octavio Antonio. Mohammed Al-Jaf was convicted of manslaughter.
Details of the incident
Prosecuting, Andrew Haslam KC said that after a 'call to arms', RTD members headed to Moston to 'exact revenge', leading to a violent melee. M40 gang members became overwhelmed and fled. John was disarmed and injured by Brent Tchipenda, becoming isolated from the rest of the M40. He was then brutally attacked, suffering 15 blows to his body, and died at the scene.
The court heard that the four defendants were not involved in the attack but 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 filmed the attack on his mobile phone before fleeing.
Sentencing and impact
In a victim impact statement read out on behalf of John's mother, Evelyn Soyoye, she described her pain as 'unbearable'. She said: 'I don't understand why the people responsible took the life of John in the way they did. It is not permissible to kill animals in the way John was killed.' She added that she had cried 'every day' since his death and was 'not the same person' as before.
Sentencing judge Elizabeth Nicholls said the case demonstrated the 'glorification of the tragedy of gang culture'. She told the defendants: 'All of you were holding potentially lethal weapons' and 'you could have easily joined in'. She noted they were to be distinguished from those convicted of murder as they did not participate in the attack on John.
Candiza, of Appleby Walk, Royton, Oldham, was jailed for 10 years and eight months. De-Almeida, of Brierley Street, Oldham, was jailed for 10 years and two months. Veiga, of Burnsall Grove, Royton, Oldham, was jailed for 10 years and three months. Teta, of Chestnut Crescent, Oldham, was jailed for 10 years and five months.
