Man killed because of 'pussy' insult on Facebook

A boy of 15 who fatally stabbed one of his former friends over a "loss of face" after they traded insults on Facebook was convicted of murder yesterday.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, knifed Salum Kombo, 18, in the chest after a petty dispute on the website, the Old Bailey was told.

Mr Kombo bled to death in Bromley-by-Bow, east London, last December. His killer was arrested that day and admitted the stabbing but claimed he acted in self-defence.

The boy, now 16, was found guilty of murder and remanded in custody for reports before sentencing next month. David Jeremy QC, for the prosecution, said a previous friendship between Mr Kombo and the defendant had turned to hostility and they had a fight after a football match.

He said: "There had been insults and threats between these two boys, directly and on Facebook. At one stage, the boy who died called [the defendant] a 'pussy'."

On 20 December, he met friends at a fish bar and was talking about stabbing Mr Kombo, jurors heard.

When Mr Kombo turned up, they walked off. As they did so the defendant "without any warning" pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed Mr Kombo to the upper chest, Mr Jeremy said. "That was the pathetic reason why this terrible event happened," he added, "because he wanted to show he wasn't a pussy."