🔴 L’VAION PENISTON NAMED AS TEEN KILLER OF KENNIE CARTER

The teenager who was just 14 when he stabbed 16-year-old Kennie Carter to death in Stretford can now be publicly named for the first time as L’Vaion Peniston, following the automatic lifting of reporting restrictions after his 18th birthday.

Peniston, previously referred to only as Boy A during the trial, was convicted of murder at Manchester Crown Court in July last year and handed a life-equivalent youth sentence with a minimum term of 17 years. The court heard how Kennie was targeted in January 2022 as part of a revenge-fuelled confrontation between rival groups of young men.

The killing occurred the day after Kennie’s friends were alleged to have been involved in an altercation with individuals linked to the defendants. On the following evening a group of around 15 arrived in Stretford, with stolen bicycles abandoned nearby and shouts of “this is revenge” overheard. Kennie, walking home and on the phone to his brother, was confronted and fatally stabbed in the chest. His final words, captured on the call, were: “Oh they’ve stabbed me in my heart bro.”

CCTV later showed Peniston re-enacting the stabbing in the aftermath. He admitted during the trial that he had used the knife but claimed he acted in self-defence after alleging Kennie had produced a weapon. The jury rejected this account and returned a unanimous guilty verdict for murder.

Mr Justice Goose, sentencing, described the incident as “yet another killing of a young person with a knife against the backdrop of gang violence” and said the tragedy was compounded by the destruction of both the victim’s life and that of the offender.

At the same trial three other teenagers were convicted of manslaughter. Latif Ferguson, then 18, was sentenced to five years’ detention while two younger defendants, known during proceedings as Boy G and Boy H, were each ordered to serve four years. Six others were acquitted of all charges.

Kennie’s mother told the court no punishment could ever reflect the loss of her son and described witnessing Peniston “laugh and smirk” during the hearings. Members of the family attended court wearing T-shirts bearing Kennie’s picture and the words “RIP Kennie”.

The prosecution outlined how Kennie became the “focus of revenge” after being spotted on the street. A resident recalled seeing the group arrive before the attack, while Kennie’s brother heard the confrontation unfold in real time over the telephone.

The murder case was not brought before the court until 21 months after Kennie’s death, following a complex police investigation and charging decision by the Crown Prosecution Service. The convictions came just weeks before what would have been Kennie’s 18th birthday.

For nearly two years the principal defendant remained anonymous, but with Peniston now 18 his identity can be reported in full. He is among the youngest offenders in recent years to receive a life-equivalent sentence for murder, a case underscoring the continuing prominence of youth knife crime before the courts.

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