A teenager accused of murdering 16-year-old Shakilus Townsend “should not be convicted just for being in a gang”, the Old Bailey has heard.

The 17-year-old's defence lawyer, Michael Wolkind QC, told jurors the only evidence against his client came from a co-defendant who had already proved to be “a liar”.

Mr Wolkind said: “No jury could ever consider convicting someone purely based on the word of Andre Johnson-Haynes.

“His story has changed so often that at times even his own counsel has struggled to keep up with the lies.

“One day he says my client kicked Shakilus, another day he says he punched him.

“He pretended that he went to rugby practise when there was no practise that day.

“What a terrible lie to say to a jury. He committed the serious offence of perjury.”

Mr Wolkind added that his client, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was “not perfect” but that he “should not be convicted just for being in a gang”.

He also warned jurors that “sweeping up” his client in a “short cut and prejudiced way” would be “easy and wrong.”

It is alleged that Shakilus, of Tanners Hill, Deptford, was set upon by members of the Shine My Nine (SMN) gang and that they beat him with a baseball bat, kicked him and stabbed him several times with one or more knives on July 3 last year.

Shakilus had been going out with a 15-year-old girl who was also seeing one of the accused, Danny McLean.

The prosecution say the girl, now 16, acted as a "honey trap", luring Shakilus to Beulah Crescent in Thornton Heath to be ambushed and attacked by the accused.

Mr McLean, 18, and Tyrell Ellis, 19, both from Thornton Heath, and Andre Johnson-Haynes, aged 18, of Croydon, deny murder.

Also charged with murder are a 16-year-old girl and three 17-year-old boys who cannot be named for legal reasons.

They all deny the charges.

The trial continues.