Rayon Pennycook murder trial: Teen found guilty of killing boy

A 17-year-old has been found guilty of stabbing a boy to death.

A jury at Northampton Crown Court found the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, guilty of murder and of possessing a knife.

Rayon Pennycook, 16, died in Reynolds Road, Corby, on 25 May following an altercation between the two boys.

Det Insp Pete Long, from Northamptonshire Police, welcomed the conviction but added: "There can be no winners in a case like this."

Following the verdict, Rayon's family described him as "talented, kind and loving".

The jury deliberated for just under 12 hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on both counts.

During the trial, the court heard the two teenagers had lunged at each other with knives following a fight between two women.

Rayon was armed with a knife when he came out of a house in the area and approached a group of boys, which included the defendant, the court heard.

Rayon was fatally stabbed and died from blood loss shortly afterwards.

Pathologist Dr Frances Hollingbury, told the jury the teenager had suffered a single, 9cm (3.5in) long stab wound to his right upper chest.

The first police officer on the scene, PC Alex Prentice, had used chest swabs to try to stop Rayon bleeding.

He had also attempted to resuscitate Rayon, but was unable to save him.

The court previously heard a statement from the defendant's father in which he said his son had told him: "I was with some friends and some guy attacked me. He tried to stab me.

"I tried to push him away to defend myself.

"I stabbed him in the shoulder to defend myself."

Senior investigating officer Mr Long said: "While I welcome this conviction, there can be no winners in a case like this - one young person has tragically lost their life, causing utter devastation to their family and friends, and another faces a significant prison term."

He said the case shows "just how dangerous it is to carry a knife," adding Rayon's family "are still deeply grieving their beloved boy".

"It's no exaggeration to say the ripple effects of Rayon's death are still being felt by all those involved, and the wider Corby community," he added.

In a statement released via Northamptonshire Police, Rayon's family said they had been left "devastated and heartbroken" by his death.

They said Rayon, who has eight siblings and was about to start an apprenticeship in the construction industry, was "jovial, very enthusiastic, kind, loving and very family-oriented".

The statement said: "We miss his presence, his smile, his silly laugh, his big hugs.

"We miss everything about him, it can't be put into words."

Describing Rayon as "very adventurous" and a talented artist, musician and athlete, his family said: "He was very confident and had a creative mind, an amazing sense of humour and always showed love and kindness to others.

"We will miss him always and remember him with love forever."

The defendant will be sentenced at a later date, but Judge David Herbert said he would face a "mandatory life sentence or, given your age, detention at Her Majesty's pleasure".

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