Teenager stabbed to death on bus home from school in Dagenham ‘drill track revenge’

Tyler Hurley was allegedly stabbed by Carlton Tanue, 19, with a so-called zombie knife with a foot-and-a-half (50cm) blade on the 173 service – just 20 minutes after the Year 11 pupil left Warren School, Chadwell Heath, East London.

video surveillance the video was played on Southwark Crown Court on Thursday recorded the alleged attack in front of passengers, including parents with prams, on the afternoon of March 14 this year.

Prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC told jurors the “fear on his face was clear” as the “unarmed and completely vulnerable” Tyler, who was in his school uniform, suffered “non-survivable” injuries.

He was taken to hospital but died in the early hours of the next day.

Three weeks ago, Tyler “upset some very dangerous young people” by uploading a music track to YouTube, the court heard.

Ms Carbery said the text mocked, “in quite vile terms”, Tanoué’s associates, in particular one member of the group who was stabbed, although not fatally.

And following a botched armed attack just over two weeks before the fatal wound, Tyler “taunted the group” after he escaped injury, she told jurors.

“He was killed, as the prosecution alleges, in cold blood, deliberately and without emotion by this accused,” she said.

“This defendant’s conduct was an act of anger and, as you will hear, revenge, and Tyler Hurley’s young life was intentionally – brutally – cut short over petty grievances because this defendant chose to arm himself with a deadly knife and because he chose to attack with it on Tyler Hurley in the middle of the afternoon on Monday as he was walking home from school.”

Tanoue, who was “outside his domain” and “looking for trouble”, armed himself with two zombie knives, with alleged murder a 2ft 2in (68cm) weapon with a 1ft 6in (50cm) blade, the court heard.

The prosecutor said he plunged the knife twice into Tyler’s body, fatally wounding him through the arm and armpit, penetrating more than nine inches (24cm) into his chest.

Tanue, of no fixed address, denies murder but admits two counts of having a knife in a public place, jurors were told.

The trial continues.