Man jailed for 14 years for killing teenager on stolen moped

A man has been locked up for 14 years for killing a teenage phone snatcher who crashed a stolen moped into a lamppost after being fatally stabbed.

Francie McCarthy, 22, fatally stabbed 16-year-old Deonte Mowatt-Slater in Islington, north London, in the early hours of October 22 last year.

An Old Bailey jury found McCarthy, from Islington, guilty of manslaughter, having cleared him of murder.

On Thursday, Judge Sarah Munro KC jailed him for 14 years, saying: “This case is yet another example of the fatal consequences which stem from the carrying of knives.”

The judge considered a call from Deonte’s family for a lengthy sentence for what they said was a “monstrous crime”.

However, Judge Munro observed that the “longer and longer sentences we impose sadly do not deter others from carry knives and injuring others”.

She also noted how easy it was for young boys like Deonte to be groomed into crime on the promise of “fun, money, and invincibility” only to find themselves out of their depth.

Earlier, Deonte’s mother Danine Mowatt told the court how her son was a “model student” before secondary school when he got “sucked into a lifestyle” she did not approve of after the death of his grandfather.

She moved away from Islington and sought professional help in an attempt to steer Deonte away from bad influences, she said.

However, on the evening before his death, Deonte returned to his old stamping ground to visit his grandmother, the court heard.

His mother said he was in “good spirits and happy, messing about being silly and making us all laugh” as they prepared for his 17th birthday three days later.

She had no idea that when Deonte told his family he was going out for food that would be the last time she would see and hold him.

Later that evening, Mrs Mowatt said she initially thought he had been involved in a traffic collision when police arrived to take her to her son, who was lying in the street mortally wounded.

Mrs Mowatt said: “I learned while still at the scene that it was not an accident, that he had been killed. The pain hit me like nothing. This was my baby, I carried him, felt him move and grow. He was someone, he was my whole world and now it felt his life meant nothing.”

The court heard Deonte had crashed a stolen moped moments after he was stabbed in the neck and chest.

Deonte had probably passed out before he collided with a lamppost as he attempted to ride away from his killer, who had shouted at him to “come here”.

The court heard McCarthy was a drug dealer and habitual carrier of knives and, like Deonte, was linked with a rival gang.

He was in the area to collect a drug debt when his path crossed with Deonte in Courtauld Road.

Giving evidence at his earlier trial, McCarthy claimed he thought he was going to be robbed and waved a knife in self-defence.

The court heard Deonte had been convicted of stealing a bicycle in August 2022 and was caught in January 2023 snatching mobile phones while riding a bike.

At the time of his death, he was riding a stolen moped with false plates.

The court heard McCarthy had previous convictions for drugs, assault and possessing offensive weapons.