Three teenagers have been jailed for a combined 46 years for the murder of 16-year-old Kayden Moy at Irvine beach. Cole Turley and Jay Stewart, both 18, along with a 15-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, were sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday morning.
Details of the Attack
Kayden Moy was stabbed to death on May 17 last year after a confrontation between rival gangs. The killers were part of the Murray Boys gang in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, while Moy belonged to the Himshie group. After a confrontation on the beach, the teenagers pursued Kayden, causing him to fall, where he was repeatedly stabbed in the body. He died from his injuries.
Stewart and the 15-year-old were found guilty after a trial last month, while Turley had previously pleaded guilty. The court heard that the trio travelled to the Ayrshire beauty spot specifically looking for Kayden. They threw rocks "the size of hands" at Kayden and his friends before a confrontation on a sand dune. Turley produced a large lockback knife, and Stewart wielded a police-style extendable baton. One of Kayden’s friends offered to fight them without weapons, but Kayden fell, and Turley stabbed him twice in the body and thigh before fleeing. Stewart was heard shouting "Murray Boys" and telling a witness, "He f***ing deserved it."
Sentencing and Victim Impact
Before the sentencing, Kayden’s father, Paul Moy, posted on social media, stating, "Nothing that happens in that courtroom will ever bring our son back. No sentence can fill the emptiness, the heartbreak, or the lifetime of memories we’ve been robbed of. Tomorrow is not about closure, because there is no such thing when you lose a child. It is about justice, accountability, and making sure my son’s life is remembered. Forever loved. Forever missed. Forever my son."
The three teenagers were sentenced to a total of 46 years in prison. The exact terms of each sentence were not immediately disclosed.
Gang Activity and Background
The killers were known to have run amok in East Kilbride in the years leading up to the murder, regularly posting on social media brandishing blades and threatening other youths. They drank Buckfast and incited violence. Shocking images show the killers masked up and posing with weapons, including a Rambo-style machete held by Stewart. A local source said, "They were always in packs and used free public transport to get around East Kilbride to throw their weight around. Everyone stayed well clear of them because it was known that they carried knives and always had bottles on them that they could use as weapons too. It was only a matter of time before something serious happened."
After the stabbing, the trio fled and took a taxi back to East Kilbride. A video released by the Crown Office shows the three boys running away from the scene.
