JURY members in the Shakilus Townsend murder trial have retired to consider their verdicts.

After listening to 49 days of evidence, jurors must decide whether each of the seven defendants is guilty of murder, guilty of manslaughter or not guilty.

Summing up the trial, Judge Richard Hawkins told the jury: “You must take your time to carefully consider the evidence which has been put before you.

“It is up to you to decide how important or how relevant each piece of evidence is.”

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.