Jurors told Daniel O’Shea was knifed in the neck in revenge for mobile phone theft

An accused killer confessed to ‘shanking’ a teenager following a botched revenge attack, a court heard.

Danny O’Shea, 18, was knifed to death in an attack allegedly organised Christopher Nathaniel, 41, after his business partner Paul Boadi was robbed of his BlackBerry.

The Old Bailey heard the men, both from Poplar asked Kevin Richards, 33, of the North Circular Road, Neasden, to recruit the gang which included David Hylton, 47, from Bloomsbury, Scott Marius, 45, from Maida Vale, O’Neil Wareham, 30, Ferron Perue, 24, Nugent Rowe, 29, and brothers Andrew, 35, and Paul Johnson, 33, all from Harrow.

It is claimed Rowe told the gang he had stabbed Mr O’Shea, in Custom House, east London, on 2 December 2011.

The gang is claimed to have scoured the streets in a minibus attacking Mr O’Shea.

Andrew Johnson blames Rowe for the killing

He claims he and his brother alongside Richards saw him chasing a group of youths before returning to the van and confessing to the stabbing.

He said: “I remember Nugent said he shanked someone soon after we got back in the van.

“I could see he was moving strange and not moving in the same body language, his eyes were wide because of the shock.”

Howard Godfrey QC, defending Rowe, asked why they drove off without giving the victim first aid to which he replied: “Because I couldn’t believe what Nugent had said and I wasn’t driving the van.”

He told the court he failed to mention it in two police interviews as he had been instructed by his solicitor not to.

He denied claims that he warned Rowe he was going to be arrested when the killing was in the news.

The ten men all deny murder and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

The trial continues.