Detectives who worked to put the killers of Tavis Spencer-Aitkens behind bars say the teenager had “no chance to defend himself” from the brutal murder.

Aristote Yenge, 23, of Spring Road, Ipswich, Adebayo Amusa, 20, of Sovereign Road, Barking, Isaac Calver, 19, of Firmin Close, Ipswich and Kyreis Davies, 17, of Turnstile Square, Colchester, were found guilty of murder by a jury at Ipswich Crown Court.

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Callum Plaats, of Ipswich, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

Leon Glasgow, 42, of no fixed address, was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter.

Speaking outside Ipswich Crown Court after the final verdict was delivered for Calver after 31hrs and 19mins of deliberations, DCI Mike Brown said officers were “extremely pleased the verdicts that have been handed down”.

DCI Brown called the killing “one of the most senseless acts of violence I have experienced in my career as a police officer” and said it was an “utter tragedy for his family and friends”.

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He added: “Tavis had done nothing to provoke this attack and was quite simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when the defendants arrived at the Nacton Estate looking for anyone connected to ‘Neno’ to attack.

“To stab someone 15 times because two members of your group had supposedly suffered a loss of ‘respect’ by running and hiding from two members of a rival group is beyond comprehension.

“Their actions were not only extremely violent, but also completely cowardly. Tavis had no chance of defending himself when set upon by this group, in what was a frenzied attack lasting less than a minute.

“The whole investigation team has been determined from day one to achieve justice for Tavis and his family and so I am extremely pleased by the verdicts handed down to the five defendants who have been found guilty for their part in the attack.

“However, these verdicts will not return a 17-year-old boy to his heartbroken family and so we must all work to ensure that Tavis’ legacy is an end to this violence.”

MORE: Tavis’ mother: Too many lives have been lost because of knife crime

DCI Brown also said it was important to educate young people about knife crime, adding: “Knives have no place on our streets and we must educate both children and young adults, who think that carrying one will make them safer and offer protection, that the reality is there is a greater risk that it will either be used by the person carrying it, or against them.

“I don’t want to watch another family suffer as Tavis’ family have. Knife crime is a societal issue and it is incumbent on all responsible authorities - including the police and councils – to work alongside the many support agencies and with local communities to eradicate this evil.”