A teenager has been found guilty of stabbing a 17-year-old to death in front of shocked onlookers in a park.

Khaled Saleh was attacked by a 16-year-old boy in St Mary’s Churchyard, Paddington, during the middle of the day in June last year.

His assailant, who is now aged 17 and cannot be named for legal reasons, was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter, at the Old Bailey yesterday (February 22).

The jury deliberated for more than 18 hours before reaching its verdict, and the youth will now be sentenced at the same court on a later date.

Detective Inspector Ollie Stride, lead investigator in the case, said that the violence used during the attack left Khaled with “little chance of survival”.

The killer launched his assault after Khaled approached him as part of a larger group.

Detective Inspector Stride said: “He had many options but chose to attack Khaled, who was unarmed, stabbing him once and continuing to attack him after he had stumbled to the floor and could not defend himself.”

The youth then fled the park along with two friends with Khaled left dying on the floor, as “shocked” onlookers desperately tried to save his life.

Detective Inspector Stride added: “This was a truly shocking scene and one which starkly outlines the devastating consequences of carrying a knife.”

Police were able to trace Khaled’s attacker after a local officer recognised him from CCTV footage.

He was arrested the following day, where he tried to claim that he had acted in self-defence.

Detectives found that within an hour of the stabbing, the suspect had removed the SIM card from his mobile phone and wiped it in an attempt to evade detection.

A search of an address linked to the defendant also recovered a distinctive jacket he had been seen wearing during the attack.

Police say the weapon used to attack Khaled has never been recovered.

Some reporting by PA.