Witness has acid thrown in his face after four jailed for killing

A witness who gave evidence against four thugs who stabbed a teenager to death had his face scarred by an acid attack.

The incident was believed to be in retribution after the victim testified against the killers of 15-year-old Sunday Essiet, from Southwark, south east London, who was stabbed to death in Plumstead in February last year.

News of the attack emerged as the four were jailed for between 13 and 16 years on Friday.

But the sentencing at the Old Bailey has not calmed the fears of Sunday's family, who are still terrified of further revenge attacks.

Sunday's aunt, who was too scared to give her name, claimed the witness had been taken into police protection.

"We're all still in shock and we're scared," she said. "Right now they're not even telling us his whereabouts. We don't know how bad the injury is. The case is still being investigated at the moment."

She is particularly fearful for Sunday's sister, Blessing, 19, who still lives with her in Southwark.

She told the Standard: "Blessing is the only thing we've got now. We don't want anything to happen to her. She's not allowed to talk to anybody. It's for her own protection."

Speaking of the family at large she added: "All the parents are scared about what could happen to their children."

Sunday was knifed nine times in the back as he begged his killers to spare his life in what is believed to have been a turf war between the T-Block gang from Thamesmead and a Somali gang who were dealing crack and heroin.

Adeniyi Oloyede, 19, from Thamesmead, who ask also known as Knifer, was jailed for a minimum of 13 years while Miles Maddy, 19, also from Thamesmead, was jailed for at least 15 years.

Sikiru Doherty, 20, from Woolwich, and Ifedotun Gbadebo-Araoye, 19, from Charlton, were both sentenced to a minimum of 16 years.

Gbadebo-Araoye was also convicted of the knife-point robbery of a chain and sentenced to another seven years to run concurrently.

Locals said Sunday lived with another aunt in a block called Rivet House in Cooper's Road off Old Kent Road prior to his death.

Both his parents were dead, so the Nigerian-born youngster had previously lived with various family members around the area.

He studied at the nearby Geoffrey Chaucer Technology College, now the Globe Academy, and was an avid Manchester United fan.

Friends remember Sunday, who was studying GCSEs at a technology college in Southwark, as a happy football loving Manchester United supporter.

Abu Mansaray, 18, said: "He was struggling, struggling all his life - coming here from Nigeria at primary school age for a better life.

"But he was a happy boy and loved football. when he was around everyone was happy. he was funny, alays cracking jokes."

Despite their relatively young ages, all the defendants have previous convictions, cautions or reprimands for related violence, including possession of a bladed article, common assault, robbery and affray.

After they were led to the cells Edward Brown QC prosecuting told the court of the attack on the witness who had been granted anonymity and gave evidence from behind a screen.

A clearly shocked Judge Timothy Pontius said: "Whatever measures the court can apply sometimes, I fear, they are not sufficient.

"This witness has the court's sympathy and its thanks for having the courage to come to court and give evidence about what he had seen."

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