Four people were convicted of murdering Tavis Spencer-Aitkens and one person found guilty of manslaughter. Here, we profile each of the killers.
Kyreis Davies
Davies, 17, told the court he’d been a drug dealer since the age of 13 or 14 and claimed although he was a former member of JBlock, he wasn’t a member of the gang at the time of Tavis’s murder.
He admitted being in the delivery van on the day of the attack on Tavis but had got out before it went to Packard Avenue.
He claimed he was weighing out drugs in a flat in the Chantry area at the time of the stabbing.
He was found guilty of murder.
Adebayo Amusa
Amusa, who was known as “Snipes”, was born on August 20, 1998 and was brought up in the London area. He told the court he’d been a drug dealer since he was 13. He dealt in heroin and crack cocaine and first came to Ipswich in April last year. He was arrested seven weeks after Tavis’s murder at a flat in Great Gipping Street for being concerned in the supply of drugs.
He told the court he was introduced to the 16-year-old when he wanted to buy cannabis and he had put him in touch with someone else. He said although he used cannabis, he didn’t use class A drugs. During his evidence he told the court he came to Ipswich in April last year with his three business partners in their drug supply business and slept at the homes of drug users.
He met Yenge about a month before Tavis’s death and would buy cannabis from him. He met his co-defendant, Isaac Calver, through Davies. He admitted being in the van on the day of Tavis’s murder but denied going in it to Packard Avenue and being involved in the attack on Tavis.
He was convicted of murder.
Aristote Yenge
Yenge was born on June 14, 1995 and was known to his friends as “Gio”. He admitted being a drug dealer but denied being a member of JBlock.
He said that because of the area of Ipswich he came from, it was inevitable he would know members of JBlock and people might infer he was a member of the gang if people saw him with members ”because you are seen with them you get put in that category straight away”.
He accepted being in the DPD van on the day of the attack but denied going to Packard Avenue in it or playing any part in the attack.
Callum Plaats
Plaats was born on May 19, 1995, and was known as “Chico”. He didn’t give evidence during the trial and his barrister said he’d been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), autistic spectrum disorder, poor concentration and an IQ in the lower average range.
The court heard he had made some home videos on his telephone in which he claimed to be “JBlock all day” but hadn’t posted them on any social media sites.
During the trial his barrister disputed that Plaats was a cyclist seen riding in convoy with the delivery van in Queens Way shortly before the attack in Tavis.
He was convicted of manslaughter, but cleared of murder.
Isaac Calver
Calver, who lived in Ipswich, was born on Sept 28, 1999, and was known to friends as “Flex”, which was also the name he used when he recorded music.
He did not give evidence during the trial and although his fingerprint was found on a delivery bag in the back of the DPD delivery van used to transport Tavis’s attackers, his case was that he had not been in the van at any stage or played any part in the attack.
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