Dean Pascal-Modeste: Two found guilty of Mottingham murder

Alex Scott and Corey Donaldson, both from Deptford, were convicted after a trial at the Old Bailey on Friday (November 17) of murdering Deal Pascal-Modeste.

Officers covering the case believe Dean "was not the intended target" of the attack and that it had merely been a case of mistaken identity.

The court heard how Dean had travelled to Mottingham with two friends from his home in Barking on February 24.

As they stood in Lambscroft Avenue, a group of men arrived on mopeds with one of the brandishing what Dean's friends described as a handgun.

The three friends ran off but Dean was caught by the gang in the adjecent Charlesfield street and repeatedly stabbed by the men.

Police and the London Ambulance Service arrived at the scene shortly after 3.45pm but, despite their best efforts, Dean was pronounced dead at the scene.

Forensic studies of the knives found in a nearby garden, phone logs and CCTV footage were all used to bring the two teenagers to justice.

Scott, of Ludwick Mews, and Donaldson, of Abinger Grove, pleaded not guilty to murder but were convicted after trial, while Uzoeme Emeofa, 18, of Bromley Road in Beckenham, was found not guilty at court.

Detective Inspector Richard Leonard of the homicide and major crime command led the investigation. He said: "I honestly believe that Dean was not the intended target of Scott and Donaldson.

"He did not live in the Mottingham area and from what we know had no associations with the locality.

"However, it appears the defendants were involved in a dispute with Dean's friends and they attacked Dean merely because he was with them that day.

"This was a brutal attack carried out in broad daylight in front of shocked residents - Dean simply didn't stand a chance.

"I can only hope that today's convictions can help his family begin to move on from this horrific chapter in their lives."

Scott and Donaldson will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on a date to be confirmed.