Gang member found guilty of slaying Leeds teenager with a sword on Leeds street, but cleared of murder
A Leeds man has been found guilty of killing a teenager from a rival gang with a sword during a deadly drugs dispute, but was cleared of murder.
Ranei Wilks was part of a group that dragged Jamie Meah from a taxi and fatally stab him in Armley in March 2023. The gang then fled the country.
A jury at Leeds Crown Court returned a majority verdict today after deliberating for more than 13 hours, finding 23-year-old Wilks guilty of manslaughter.
He was also cleared of attempted murder on a second victim, but the jury found him guilty of causing GBH with intent, and guilty of two counts of possessing a bladed article. One stemmed from an incident in 2022 when a car carrying Wilks was stopped and a knife found in the vehicle.
Wilks was remanded into custody and will appear again on February 3 for sentencing.
During the two-week trial it was heard that Mr Meah was targeted by the rival drugs gang on Brooklyn Terrace on the evening of March 31, 2023.
His friend, Kayne Priestley, who was 16 at the time but is now 18, was badly injured as the gang was heard to say: “You better tell your boys”, as they attacked the stricken pair on the floor.
Ranei Wilks was one of several men to get out of a waiting Mercedes to carry out the attack using a “three-to-four-foot sword”.
The taxi driver heard one of the two victims shout “don’t stab me” before they were both dragged out and stabbed, kicked and punched repeatedly.
They then fled the scene. Mr Meah was able to stagger to a property on Brentwood Street and told the occupier that he needed an ambulance.
He collapsed unconscious moments later. Despite attempts to resuscitate him, he died. It was later found that a stab wound to his leg had severed the femoral artery, causing catastrophic injuries.
Mr Priestley was able to flee to a nearby fish and chip shop. Despite having multiple lacerations, his injuries were not life threatening.
All four suspects then left the country.
The fingerprints of Wilks and the other suspects were found in the hired Mercedes which was abandoned in Bradford days later.
Mr Wilks was only arrested a year later after landing at Leeds Bradford Airport from a flight from Turkey.
Meanwhile, the three other suspects in the killing - Aquade Jeffers, Caleb Awe and Enham Nishat - remain at large, despite numerous appeals to locate them by West Yorkshire Police.
A baseball cap found at the scene of the murder was forensically matched to Caleb Awe.
Anyone with information is asked to contact HMET via 101 quoting Operation Plunket, reference 13230180255, or online at livechat.
Information can be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.