A church minister’s son begged for his life before being stabbed to death by three teenagers in a street in Harlesden, the Old Bailey heard.

David Headlam, 18, from Willesden, son of Pentecostal church minister Bishop Alonzo Headlam, was stabbed at least three times and bled to death from an injury to a major artery in his thigh.

Mr Headlam had been walking home with a friend after when the killers arrived at the scene by minicab at around 1am on 29 June last year.

Prosecutor Timothy Cray said: “The group who attacked them were armed with knives. They wore dark hooded clothing. Everything they did showed they wanted to kill or cause really serious harm to their victims.”

David’s friend was stabbed in his left thigh but managed to sprint away and escape, the court heard.

The attackers then chased David more than 400 metres up the road before catching up to him in Drayton Avenue, jurors were told.

“One of the neighbours heard David pleading for his life, shouting ‘Don’t stab me, don’t kill me’ but the attackers showed no mercy and he was stabbed to death,” said Mr Cray.

Detectives managed to track down the minicab used to take the killers to the scene, the court heard.

The driver said he picked three young men up in Wembley and was told they were going to Harlesden.

After stabbing David’s friend one man got back into the cab and told him to drive up the road in pursuit of David Headlam, the court heard.

After the murder the driver took the killers back to Wembley, the court heard.

Idris Daud, 19, of Anton Place, Wembley, Ayman Koshin, 18, of Summers Close, Wembley, and T’Shai Ennis, 19, from Slough, Berkshire, all deny murder.

The trial continues.