Three teenagers have begun prison sentences

TEENAGERS caught up in a “county lines” drug operation have been sent to prison after the death of a man beaten in a King’s Cross street.

Anthony Marks, 51, who was experiencing homelessness, died in September 2024 from injuries sustained in Whidbourne Street, King’s Cross.

He was hit with a car bumper and a gin bottle after being suspected of knowing where some drugs had been hidden.

He survived to tell police at King’s Cross station what had happened, but he later died in hospital from his injuries.

After the three teens involved were named for the first time and handed prison sentences, the Met’s media team shared a large number of pictures and messages from their phones joking about the attack.

County lines operations normally involve powerful dealers recruiting young runners to take drugs to customers, often sending them out of London to supply.

Teenagers are often drawn in by the promise of quick money, but the risk of getting caught with illegal drugs falls on them rather than their controllers.

Jaidee Bingham, aged 16 at the time of the attack and known as “Ghost”, was convicted of murder and told he must serve a minimum of 16 years of his life sentence.

Eymaiyah Lee Bradshaw-McKoy, then aged 16, and Mia Campos-Jorge, then aged 17, were both convicted of manslaughter and given jail terms of more than three years.

All were from outside the King’s Cross and Camden area. Detective Inspector Jim Barry said: “This is a particularly callous murder that gives an insight into the ruthless brutality of county lines gangs.

“The ages of Bingham, Bradshaw-McKoy and Campos-Jorge are particularly shocking. But the fact that they were teenagers does not excuse their violent actions as part of a drug line that has brought fear and intimidation to London’s streets.”

He added: “They believed they had escaped justice, even posing for selfies together and laughing about what they had done. There is a sense of justice that officers were able to use these to place them at the scene of the crime.”

The Met said the three had been tasked with finding out what had happened to some stolen drugs, which led to an initial confrontation in Argyle Street.

A pursuit led to Whidbourne Street, where Mr Marks was repeatedly kicked and hit over the head with a glass bottle.

They only left when a member of the public chased them off, armed with a cricket bat.

The Met said it was the teenagers’ mobile phone activity which helped them trace them to the scene.

DI Barry said: “This verdict shows how the Met is taking the fight to criminal gangs and committed to getting justice for their victims.”

The Home Office said late last year that it had set up a programme to “take down County Lines” which exploited children.

It added that this had led to more than 8,000 arrests nationally and more than 4,000 exploited children and vulnerable people being given support to turn them away from gangs.