A man who drove a stolen BMW at a teenage cyclist was found guilty of the murder of his former friend at Luton Crown Court today (May 15).
Kyle Beckford, 22, of Waleys Close, killed 19-year-old Delaney Brown in September last year, by mounting the pavement in Vincent Road in the stolen BMW and deliberately knocking Delaney from his bike, causing fatal injuries.
Beckford, who was part of a ‘rival crime group’ to his former friend, pleaded not guilty to murder, but offered a guilty plea to manslaughter.
Speaking after today’s verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Collin, said: “It is always sad to see a family lose a young person in such violent circumstances and my sympathies remain with Delaney’s family.
“Delaney and Kyle were both friends when they were at school but as they became adults they grew apart. With information received from the public we now know they became involved in opposing groups of young men who were involved in crime.
“We believe the motivation for this incident was brought about by the personal contempt that grew between Kyle and Delaney. After several incidents involving the two publicly showing contempt towards each other, Beckford deliberately took this opportunity to kill Delaney and now he is facing
the consequences of his actions. He is now 22 and facing a lengthy sentence, which means he will be middle aged by the time he is released – he will have lost the best years of his life because of the choices he made.”
Det Chief Insp said it had been “a difficult case” from the beginning, and thanked the key witnesses who showed “bravery and courage” by coming forward to make formal statements, without which the result would not have been possible.
Beckford will be sentenced shortly.