A 16-year-old accused of murdering a 15-year-old boy in Glasgow has told a jury that he struck the victim with a sword because he thought the teenager was going to stab his friend. The boy gave evidence on Wednesday at the High Court in Glasgow, where he and a 17-year-old co-accused are on trial for the murder of Amen Teklay.
Incident Details
The alleged murder took place on March 5, 2025, in the St George's Cross area of Glasgow. Prosecutors claim the two accused, who cannot be named due to their age, brandished a sword and a frying pan at Amen while both were masked. Amen, originally from Eritrea and living in Glasgow with his father, was chased and struck with the sword, suffering fatal injuries on Clarendon Street.
The 16-year-old has lodged a special defence of self-defence. He told the jury that he purchased the sword online in January 2025 for £40 and hid it under post boxes near his home, taking it out and concealing it down his trousers when leaving his flat.
Background of Feud
The boy said he first encountered Amen in the summer of 2024 at Kelvinhall subway station, where Amen and others robbed him of cannabis he was supposed to sell to a woman. This led to a feud between their groups, involving physical violence and knife threats. The jury has seen footage of some incidents.
Referring to social media videos shown to the jury of the boy holding the knife two and three days before the murder, the boy said he was “trying to build a persona,” adding: “It was ridiculous, I was 14 - I didn't know. I look back now and I was very stupid. I don't know why I did that stuff.”
Night of the Murder
On the night of the alleged murder, the two accused had been at football pitches in Maryhill with friends. The 16-year-old said he received a phone call from a rival group member, warning that Amen was in the area with a knife looking for him and his friend. He ended up alone with his co-accused on Clarendon Street.
The boy claimed that the 17-year-old noticed Amen “jump out” from behind a parked car with a knife. The 16-year-old said he took out his knife and both Amen and he were “swinging them at each other, circling each other.” The 17-year-old stood back holding a frying pan.
The boy said Amen called him a “p***y” and asked: “What are you on, what are you saying?” The 16-year-old replied: “It’s Ramadan we don’t need to do this.” He claimed that Amen then noticed the 17-year-old and ran towards him with the knife lifted. “I thought he was going to stab the 17-year-old,” the boy said. “Amen turned 180 degrees towards me. He had the knife still up. I took my knife and I stabbed him.”
Aftermath
The boy said he knew he struck Amen but did not know where. He saw Amen run away with “a lot of blood” that went “all over me - on my jumper and my face.” He disposed of his blood-stained jogging bottoms by throwing them over a wall, and later drove his e-scooter to Kelvingrove Park, where he kicked the knife near a river.
The boy said he went home, told his parents he loved them, and then went to the city centre’s 'Four Corners' area before taking a taxi back home. He searched for Amen and the incident online the next day. “I knew he was badly injured. I had no idea that he died,” he said.
Iain McSporran KC, defending the 17-year-old, asked the 16-year-old if he told Amen to “leave” his client alone. The boy replied: “Yes.” The trial continues before Judge Lord Colbeck.
