Pair guilty of hunting down and attempting to murder teenager in Hemlington

Tyler Bradley, Wayne Boyd, Leon Keenan and Kaya Azhar chased a 17-year-old boy before stabbing him up to 16 times with a machete.

They all immediately fled the area leaving the boy gravely injured in the street in the early hours of Wednesday 30 April.

On Wednesday 3 December Bradley and Boyd were found guilty of attempted murder and Keenan and Azhar were found guilty of section 18 grievous bodily harm following a two-week trial at Teesside Crown Court. Ebony Watt, aged 18, from Skinningrove was found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

All five will be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court on Friday 27 February 2026.

The court heard how the boy had arrived in Hemlington by bus shortly after 2.30pm on Tuesday 29 April.

During this time, he had met with Watt while in company with another teenager.

Contact between Boyd, aged 19, and Watt began from 11.20pm where she started making him, and later Azhar, aged 18, aware that the boy was in the area.

At 12.15am a chase began between Boyd, Bradley and Keenan, both aged 18, who left Fonteyn Court on a bike and travelled along Cass House Road in the direction of Corbridge Close and Cramlington Close.

Azhar arrived on an electric scooter where footage appeared to show him encircling the boy, which led him to leap from a balcony in a desperate attempt to flee the men and avoid violence.

Further footage played to the jury, showed the boy jumping over garden fences, being chased around a car park and a small, wooded area.

However, they caught up with him and with force struck with the machete, causing injuries to his head and most of his body.

Residents nearby heard his screams causing them to shout out to his attackers to stop.

Despite sustaining significant injuries, he managed to drag himself on to Hemlington Hall Road and over a fence into the Phoenix Park estate where residents came to his aid before emergency services arrived.

His attackers began communicating heavily by mobile phone immediately after the attack.

Azhar was instructed to get rid of the weapon by concealing it in Watt’s garden and visited her home within minutes of the attack taking place.

Bradley, Boyd and Watt all repeatedly calling each other as they scrambled in panic, the court heard.

In one text message, Bradley said the police ‘drones’ were up and that he was going to ‘jail’ prompting him to turn off his mobile phone. Shortly after 3.30am he later messaged that he was ‘sound’ and in a ‘good little spot’ with Boyd and posted a video online of him in a hotel on Acklam Road in Middlesbrough.

Watt meanwhile was warning Azhar that the police were on their way.

An investigation began by Cleveland Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team (HMET) which focused on a manhunt for the attackers.

Over the course of a few weeks, the men were detained beginning with Boyd and Azhar who were arrested on Tuesday 20 May. Bradley remained at large until Saturday 24 May and further investigation led to Keenan being arrested and interviewed on Monday 9 June.

All were charged with attempted murder and remanded in custody.

Temporary Detective Inspector Neil Coverdale, from HMET, said: “These men had one thing on their minds when they hunted down and pursued the 17-year-old boy, and that was to use such force and violence that would inflict horrific injuries upon him.

“Immediately after their attack they fled the area, leaving him in the street fighting for his life. Their only focus was to avoid police detection, to get away as quickly as possible and dispose of evidence along the way. However, they displayed nothing more than panic as they frantically called and messaged each other, ultimately knowing that they would be caught and face prison. This was despite Watt doing her best to come to their aid to try to hinder the police investigation.

“The dedicated investigation team put forward a case with such overwhelming evidence that proved their involvement, from the footage that was available, to their distinctive clothing and footwear, as well as their instant access to deadly weapons and being familiar with the area, all of which led to the jury reaching the right verdict.

“I want to give thanks to the residents and emergency services who came to the victim's swift aid, which no doubt gave him the best chance of survival. Without that quick medical intervention, it is very possible that the outcome could have been so much worse.”

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