Kevin Richards is charged with the murder of 18-year-old Daniel O’Shea

A Neasden man accused of taking part in a revenge attack which claimed the life of an innocent teenager did not know the victim, a court heard.

Kevin Richards, 32, of North Circular Road, is jointly charged alongside nine other men with the murder of Daniel O’Shea.

The 18-year-old was stabbed to death in Canning Town, east London, on December 2, 2011.

The Old Bailey heard claims that Mr O’Shea was killed in an attack arranged by top sports agent Christopher Nathaniel after his business partner Paul Boadi, 34, was been robbed of his mobile phone,

When Nathaniel was questioned about the killing he told police a “pack of lies”, jurors were told.

Mark Heywood QC, prosecuting, told the Old Bailey that Nathaniel “chose to lie” to police.

He added: “It was nothing less than a pack of lies.”

And when he was interviewed again, “he was not frank then either”.

When he was charged with murder, Nathaniel had replied: “Not guilty” and “outrageous”, said counsel.

Mr Heywood said the defendants travelled to the area to “exact revenge” following the robbery a week before.

He told the court: “The plan was to teach a lesson.

“They were serious. They had weapons between them including baseball bats and at least one knife.”

He added: “As far as can be known, none of them knew the young man who died.

“That young man had very little to do with why they were there.

“It seems he simply crossed their paths, possibly because he ran with others.”

Richards is jointly charged alongside Nathaniel and Boadi, both from Docklands, east London, David Hylton, 47, from Holborn, brothers Andrew, 35, and Paul Johnson, 33, O’Neil Wareham, 30, all from Harrow, Ferron Perue, 24, from Birmingham, Nugent Rowe, 29, from Pinner, and Scott Marius, 44, from Maida Vale.

All deny murder and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

The trial continues.