The killers of Ipswich teenager Tavis Spencer-Aitkens are due to be sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court today.

Yesterday the court heard mitigation from the defendants’ barristers and impact statements from Tavis’s parents.

The case was adjourned until 11am today when Judge Martyn Levett will begin sentencing the five defendants who are aged between 17 and 23.

Before the court are Aristote Yenge, 23, of Spring Road, Ipswich, Kyreis Davies, 17, of Turnstile Square, Colchester, Adebayo Amusa, 23, of Sovereign Road, Barking and Isaac Calver, 18, of Firmin Close, Ipswich were all convicted of murdering 17-year-old Tavis last month.

A fifth defendant, Callum Plaats, 23, of Ipswich, was convicted of manslaughter by a majority 10-1 verdict.

The defendants all denied being involved in the killing.

During their four month trial the court heard that Tavis was “hunted down like prey” and “butchered” to death after being stabbed 15 times and hit over the head with a bottle as he walked along Packard Avenue near his father’s in June last year.

The court heard there was bitter rivalry between the JBlock gang from the Jubilee Park area of Ipswich and the Neno gang, from the Nacton area of Ipswich and the fatal attack on Tavis was the result of what JBlock perceived to be a loss of respect following a row between two of their friends and two of Tavis’s friends earlier on the day of the killing.

On that occasion two members of Neno had confronted two members of J Block in Ipswich town centre and and appeared intent on attacking them.

The two JBlock members had taken refuge in Lush but before any violence took place a police officer ran into the store and ordered the two Neno members to leave.

Within a couple of hours members of JBlock had been rounded up an a plan was made to go in search of a Neno gang member to seek revenge.

Following the attack on Tavis in Packard Avenue, his step-sister rushed to his aid and saw a deep cut to his throat and a number of injuries to his back.

Doctors who arrived at the scene found a stab wound to Tavis’s heart and performed emergency surgery in an attempt to stem the loss of blood but he later died.