Teenager charged over schoolboy murder

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of schoolboy Leroy James who was found with a single stab wound slumped against a park wall, Scotland Yard said.

Leroy, 14, was discovered in a pool of blood following the incident near a playground in Enfield, north London on Wednesday.

The accused teenager was also charged with the possession of an offensive weapon and will appear at Enfield Magistrates' Court tomorrow.

The boy was arrested with a second teenager on suspicion of murder on Thursday.

They were both questioned by police and the other boy, 15, was released on police bail and is due to return next month pending further inquiries.

The victim's father, also called Leroy, said his son "will forever be remembered" and that he was "just trying to keep sane" in the wake of his death.

Arsenal fan Leroy, who had said he wanted to be a footballer, was the youngest of 10 teenagers murdered in the capital this year.

Horrified witnesses described him as "sweet", as his father said paramedics failed to revive him at the scene in Ponders End recreation ground.

Mr James, 41, said he was due to take his son to Jamaica to see his mother in December, and Leroy was looking forward to it.

"He was a pretty quiet boy," he said. "He didn't really talk much."

Mr James, from Edmonton Green, said he last spoke to his son in the morning and that he found out about the attack when one of his son's friends called him.

Leroy was the eighth teenager stabbed to death in the capital this year.

Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses to the incident, which they said took place when the park was "incredibly busy".

A post-mortem examination carried out at Haringey Mortuary found that Leroy died from a single stab wound, Scotland Yard said.

Anyone with information should call 020 8358 0400.

PA