Boy who was 16 when he murdered fellow teen in Milton Keynes was under the care of Northants social services, investigation reveals

The shocking story of a teenager who stabbed a 17-year-old boy to death on a Milton Keynes street has been revealed in a investigation by social services, whose care he was under.

Alfie Pride is currently serving a life prison sentence for the murder of Lewis Wenman on Springfield in November 2020.

A report published today (Wednesday) by safeguarding teams outlines the circumstances that led to a boy in the care of social services becoming a murderer.

Alfie, who was 16 at the time of the killing, is identified only as Child O. Victim Lewis is called Child N.

The report, published by Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership in conjunction with MK Together, described how Child O was taken in care of Northamptonshire County Council social services in 2017 and had at least nine placements in three years with foster families and residential homes.

In April 2019, Child O was sentenced in court to a Referral Order for possession of an offensive weapon. His social work team thought it was “crucial” to get him out of Northants to keep him away from gangs, and he was swiftly moved to Milton Keynes.

At first he returned to live with his mother but was later moved to supported accommodation.

InFebruary 2020, Child O was arrested and bailed (but not subsequently charged) for stabbing another young person in their leg and arm.

He “barely knew” Child N, says the report, although both boys were identified by police in May 2020 as being at serious risk of youth/gang violence. This was just six months before the fatal stabbing.

In June 2020, Child O was arrested twice, once in possession of a large amount of class A drugs and cash and once for grievous bodily harm after an assault on a fellow student.

Meanwhile Child N came to police attention three times between September and early November2020, and referrals were made to the Milton Keynes Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).

Child N had also been subject to a child protection plan, this time with MK social services, from 2017 to 2019, partly due to concerns about his involvement with gangs and being “vulnerable to violence”.

At the end ofSeptember 2020, Child O was seen with a knife and threatened someone with it. The following monthit was discovered he was a victim of modern slavery.

On November 7 2020, at 6.30pm, a chance encounter in the street led to Child O stabbing Child N three times, penetrating his heart.

The report states the two boys knew each other through peers within their social network but had no contact.

"They had had an argument over the phone a few days before the murder because of contact between respective friends. The meeting in the street which resulted in Child N’s death occurred by chance.”

The investigation explored the involvement of professional agencies before the murder and draws up a list of lessons to be learned. These include improvements to sharing information between agencies, more continuity of service and better decision-making about placements.

"The precipitating factor for Child O to move to (MK) was being stabbed by a peer. Prior to coming into care, he had been shot with a shot gun, probably by rival gang members” states the report.

"Moving to LA1 did not keep Child O safe from gang involvement, especially after he moved to an area of LA1 known for gang activity.”