Two teenagers have been jailed for the manslaughter of 17-year-old Yeray Sanchez Morales, who was stabbed to death outside a McDonald's restaurant in south-east London. The killers later boasted of the crime by posting photos of their bloodied hands and knives on social media, the Metropolitan Police said.
Attack outside McDonald's on Old Kent Road
Yeray Sanchez Morales was sitting outside the restaurant with a friend on Old Kent Road at just before 11pm on August 27 last year when he was attacked. The teenager, who wanted to become a PE teacher, was stabbed and hit with a bottle in front of a crowd of youths. He suffered nine wounds to his neck and chest and died in hospital a week later.
Yeray's friend, who survived the attack, said they did not know why they had been targeted. Detectives pieced together CCTV images to track the suspects' movements and match their clothing to determine who struck the fatal blows.
Convictions and sentences
On Friday, four men and three boys were convicted on a range of offences in relation to the circumstances surrounding Yeray's death. Christhofer Jesus Vasquez, 18, of Enfield, north London, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to four years in jail. He had pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article in January and was jailed for one year for that offence, to run concurrently with the first sentence.
Andres Tapia Londono, 18, of Haringey, north London, was also convicted of manslaughter and handed a four-year jail sentence. Isaac Ros Ramirez, 18, of Hackney, east London, and Juan Betancourt Hoyos, 21, of Mount Pleasant Road, Haringey, were convicted of violent disorder and given a community order.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted of violent disorder and sentenced to 16 months in jail. A second 16-year-old boy was convicted of violent disorder and given a 12-month youth rehabilitation order. A third 16-year-old boy, who had pleaded guilty to violent disorder, intent to do grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article in relation to a second victim in February, was given a community order.
Mother's tribute and police investigation
Yeray's mother, Elena Morales, said her son 'loved to dance and sing' and dreamt of becoming a PE teacher. She said: 'Yeray was only 17 years old when his life was stolen. He was a sensitive, happy, polite and generous young man, always ready to help anyone who needed it.'
She added: 'His death has left a wound so deep that it can never heal. The sadness and pain have scarred our family and his friends forever. His absence is felt every day. Every birthday, every family occasion reminds us that Yeray should be there with us. As a mother, I have no words to describe the pain that crushes my soul.'
After Yeray's death, detectives reached out to the teenagers who had witnessed the attack and, through appeals, obtained mobile phone footage of the night. They tracked the individuals on the footage and local CCTV, and found them on social media where 'images of bloodied hands and knives' had been shared. One of the 16-year-olds was found to have booked a taxi to take him away from the scene shortly after Yeray was attacked. A specialist forensic team was able to further link the group to the crime as one individual was identified through DNA left on the rim of a bottle he had used to attack Yeray.
Detective Sergeant Debbie Barge, who led the investigation, said: 'Yeray was just a teenager with his whole life ahead of him. This was cruelly cut in an act of violence that deeply shocked the whole community. The majority of the teenagers present were horrified by what they witnessed – we would like to thank them for working closely with us to bring those responsible for justice. Detectives worked quickly to track down the suspects, proving their roles in and surrounding Yeray's death. Our thoughts remain with his family and hope these convictions can bring them some degree of peace.'
