Four London teenagers pleaded not guilty in court today to the murder of 10-year-old Nigerian schoolboy Damilola Taylor.
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Mr Richard Taylor, father of murdered schoolboy Damilola Taylor, arrives at the Old Bailey in central London today. Photography: Reuters
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The four, aged between 14 and 16, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared at London's Old Bailey central criminal court at the start of the trial speaking only to deny the three charges of assault with intent to rob, murder and manslaughter.
Special changes have been made to the courtroom and trial proceedings to avoid exposing the four boys to intimidation, humiliation and distress, they said.
The judge and barristers will not wear customary wigs and gowns. The defendants, who will be accompanied by parents or guardians throughout the trial, will sit at separate long tables below the dock.
The first three days of the trial will be taken up with legal discussions and submissions and the jury is expected to be empanelled next Tuesday. The trial is expected to last two to three months.
Damilola's father, Richard, appeared in court dressed in a dark suit.
The four boys are alleged to have attacked Damilola on November 27th, 2000, as he walked home from an after-school computer lesson.
He bled to death in a stairwell in south London after he was stabbed in the leg.
Damilola had arrived in London from Lagos with family members four months earlier.