A MAN has been jailed for stabbing a teenager during a brawl which resulted in the death of his friend CJ Hendricks.

Bradley Campbell, 20, said he knifed a 17-year-old in retaliation after seeing Mr Hendricks stabbed during the fight near Walthamstow town square in August last year.

Campbell and Mr Hendricks, who were associated with the Leyton-based Beaumont Crew, clashed with four friends connected to Walthamstow’s Priory Court Gang.

Judge Richard Hawkins QC sentenced Campbell to two years in a young offenders' institute for the stabbing and one year for a subsequent attack against the same victim, to run consecutively.

He told Campbell: “Clearly there is a gang background to this. Three knives were recovered at the scene and your friend was stabbed to death."

The court heard that on the night of the stabbings, Campbell saw Mr Hendricks being beaten and stabbed and chased the attackers, slashing one of them in the shoulder, back and ear.

Christopher Hehir, prosecuting, told the court that Mr Hendricks had been attacked with a pole by members of the Priory Court gang months before his death and subsequently wore a stab vest for his protection.

Mr Hehir said Mr Campbell bullied a Priory Court gang member in retaliation for the attack on Mr Hendricks and, on the night of the stabbings, threatened the youths because they had 'slipped into the wrong territory'.

Mr Hehir said: “The defendant appears to have been the initial antagonising factor which led to his friend's death and to the victim's stabbing.”

He told the judge that Mr Hendricks had “without any doubt” been wearing a belt with a pen knife, which was later missing and could possibly have been used by Campbell.

Campbell was also charged with affray for attacking the victim with a knife six months later in the Ridgeway, Chingford.

The victim managed to defend himself with a rucksack and was unharmed.

The court heard that Campbell had a string of convictions since he was aged 13 including attempted robbery, common assault, possession of drugs and car theft.

Charles Sherrard, mitigating, told the judge: “He saw his friend stabbed in the chest in front of his eyes.

"No one of us can possibly imagine what that does.

“(Campbell) had never been involved in knife crime. He was not armed with a knife.

"He could have continued chasing but he didn't, he returned to comfort Mr Hendricks as he was dying on the floor rather than pursuing the others.”

A 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was acquitted of both the murder and manslaughter of CJ Hendricks earlier this month.