Two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, are currently facing trial for the alleged murder of a 15-year-old boy in a sword attack in Glasgow. The victim, Amen Teklay, was discovered severely injured on Clarendon Street in Maryhill last year on March 5 and sadly passed away at the scene.
According to the murder charge, the two teenage suspects, wearing masks, purportedly assaulted the victim with a frying pan and a sword or similar weapon at Glenfarg Street and Clarendon Street on the same day. It is claimed that the accused, unidentified due to their age, pursued Amen and inflicted fatal injuries with the sword.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to the accusations, with the 16-year-old asserting a self-defense special defense. Additionally, the 16-year-old is accused of attempting to obstruct justice by concealing a blood-stained garment and discarding a weapon on the day of the incident.
Further allegations include the 16-year-old’s involvement in a threatening incident on March 2 of the previous year, where a sword and a metal barrier were reportedly brandished at Amen. The same individual is also charged with unlawful possession of a blade, specifically a sword or similar implement, at various locations in Glasgow between March 2 and 5, 2025. Moreover, it is claimed that the 16-year-old, alongside two others, assaulted Amen on Great Western Road in Glasgow on February 12 of the same year.
The trial, overseen by Lord Colbeck at the High Court in Glasgow, commenced with the swearing in of jurors on Thursday, June 18. Lord Colbeck emphasized to the jurors the importance of basing their verdicts on the evidence presented during the proceedings.