Shop worker knifed to death for bag of skunk

A young shopworker collapsed in his mother's arms after being knifed for a £300 stash of cannabis, a court heard today.

Donald Vincent suffered a six inch deep stab wound during a struggle with two robbers as he walked to his home late at night in east London, the Old Bailey was told.

The youngster managed to make it back to the flat which he shared with his mother, telling her "Mummy, call 999 – they stabbed me" before collapsing as his heart stopped, it was said.

Air ambulance medics performed open heart surgery before he was flown to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel but he stood no chance and died less than three hours after the attack just after midnight on September 13 last year.

The court heard that small time cannabis dealer Donald had been set up by pal Deric Dew Darko, 24, who had plotted with four other alleged co-conspirators to rob him after he collected two-and-a-quarter ounces of skunk from his dealer.

Vincent and Darko had fallen out with each other over money but in the weeks leading up to his murder they had made up, it was said.

But Darko, together with Quentin Farrell, 23, his brother James Farrell, 27, Djodjo Osango, 23, and Muhiddin Muhiddin, 20, met up in a friends flat where they allegedly hatched the plot.

After the robbery as the five returned to the flat to divide the spoils, Darko and Osango allegedly berated Quentin Farrell known as "Q" for stabbing Donald.

Quentin Farrell then protested about the equal division of the drugs saying "I punched him, I stabbed him. I should get more", the jury heard.

Standing trial, Quentin Farrell denies murder on September 13 last year but has admitted conspiracy to rob. Muhiddin denies conspiracy to rob.

An Old Bailey jury heard that Darko of Ilford, James Farrell and Osango, both of Woodford Green, have all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and await sentence after the trial.

Prosecutor Nicholas Hilliard QC said Donald had "no chance of surviving" his deep knife wound but Quentin Farrell had claimed to pals he only pulled a knife to "scare the boy down" and it was an accident.

But Mr Hilliard said: "The prosecution say if you stick a knife 14cm into the chest of another human being, that is very strong evidence indeed that at the time you intended to cause at the least very serious harm.

"Everyone knows nowadays sticking a knife into people kills them."

The trail of Quentin Farrell of Iflford and Muhiddin of Woodstock Green, both east London, continues