Teen accused of murdering Amen Teklay 'admitted stabbing him in heart', court hears

A teenager on trial for murdering a 15-year-old “confessed” to stabbing him through the heart, a trial has been told.

The 16-year-old and his 17-year-old co-accused are stated to have assaulted Amen Teklay in the St George’s Cross area of Glasgow on March 5, 2025.

Prosecutors claim the boys – who cannot be identified due to their age – brandished a sword and frying pan at Amen while both masked.

It is said Amen – who lived in the city with his father, but was originally from Eritrea – was chased.

The charge states that he was struck with the sword and left so severely hurt that he passed away in the city’s Clarendon Street.

A special defence of self-defence has been lodged by the 16-year-old boy on trial.

On Friday, jurors watched further footage from a police interview given by a third youth – aged 16 – who was initially arrested for the murder.

The court previously heard that the youth played football with the two boys on trial at the Firhill Complex in Maryhill on the night of Amen’s death but he went home.

The youth told officers that he got a phone call from another boy who was in their company later that night.

He stated that the other boy had told him that the 16-year-old on trial stabbed Amen.

This led to the youth speaking to the 16-year-old on trial about the incident at school.

The youth told officers: “I asked him and he told me. He confessed to it.”

When asked by a detective constable what the 16-year-old on trial had told him, the youth replied: “He said he got stabbed in the chest out of his back.

“When he took it out, all the blood went on his face and his eyelashes.”

The officer asked the youth how he felt hearing this, and he replied: “I was shocked, I was sad, I knew what the consequences would be with him doing that.”

The youth’s recorded court evidence was then played to the court.

He stated that the 16-year-old on trial knew that Amen was in the area before his death.

Amen had allegedly asked another youth where the 16-year-old on trial and the youth giving evidence were.

When asked by prosecutor Adrian Stalker about being told by the 16-year-old on trial that Amen was stabbed in the chest and through the back, the witness said he couldn’t remember.

A string of messages which the witness, the 16-year-old on trial and other youths had sent around the time of the incident were read to the jury.

In a message two days before the alleged murder, the 16-year-old is claimed to have mentioned that Amen had a “big shank nearly as big as mine”. The court heard shank meant knife.

There was further discussion that the group “ain’t fighting small shanks” in relation to Amen.

Brian McConnachie KC, defending the 16-year-old, quizzed the youth on his first meeting with Amen.

He stated that Amen stole drugs from him and the 16-year-old on trial, which they were selling at Kelvinhall subway station.

Jurors had previously watched footage of Amen being attacked in February 2025, which is claimed to have included the 16-year-old on trial and the youth giving evidence.

The youth claimed a person wearing clothing similar to Amen’s tried to attack him with a weapon as he walked to school the next day.

Jurors also watched later footage of youths with weapons outside the Lismore bar in Partick stated to also have involved Amen and the 16-year-old on trial.

Mr McConnachie asked if Amen had the same weapon as the person outside of his school and he replied: “Yes.”

The trial continues before Judge Lord Colbeck.