AN 18-YEAR-OLD man accused of murdering Shakilus Townsend “may be morally responsible” for the teen's death but "is not criminally responsible”.

Speaking during the 45th day of the Old Bailey trial, Andre Johnson-Haynes's lawyer Ben Aina accused the prosecution of “blowing hot air” in the absence of any real evidence.

He told jurors: “The prosecution has one witness putting my client at the scene of murder and she only saw him for two seconds.

“Can he really be convicted of such a serious crime as murder on the word of one person who might have seen something so quickly?”

He added: “You are criminally responsible if you use a knife to unlawfully kill another human being.

“You are criminally responsible if you join a plan where you know someone has a knife and you know that they are going to use it to kill another human being.

“But what evidence have you been shown or heard to prove this? Very little I would suggest. The prosecution is blowing hot air.

“My client and many others may be morally responsible for what happened on that tragic day, but Andre Johnson-Haynes is not criminally responsible.”

It is alleged that Shakilus, of Tanners Hill, Deptford, was set upon by members of the Shine My Nine (SMN) gang and that they beat him with a baseball bat, kicked him and stabbed him several times with one or more knives on July 3 last year.

Shakilus had been going out with a 15-year-old girl who was also seeing one of the accused, Danny McLean.

The prosecution say the girl, now 16, acted as a "honey trap", luring Shakilus to Beulah Crescent in Thornton Heath to be ambushed and attacked by the accused.

McLean, 18, and Tyrell Ellis, 19, both from Thornton Heath, and Andre Johnson-Haynes, aged 18, of Croydon, deny murder.

Also charged with murder are a 16-year-old girl and three 17-year-old boys who cannot be named for legal reasons.

They all deny the charges.

The trial continues.