The friendship between two teenage boys standing trial for murdering 17-year-old Shaquan Fearon in Brockley has unravelled after one defendant turned on the other, a court has heard.

The 15-year-old and 16-year-old, who cannot be named because of their ages, are accused of fatally stabbing Shaquan and slashing his friend Junior Inneh across the face on the Turnham Estate on September 3 last year. 

The prosecution alleges the two boys corned Shaquan and Junior before stabbing them with two kitchen knives.

In his closing statement at the Old Bailey today, Tyrone Smith QC, defence for the 16-year-old, said the account of his client's co-defendant is "nonsense from start to finish".

He told the court: "Friendship and loyalty when combined can be a wonderful thing.

"It can be an attractive thing, it can be a source of great comfort to people.

"We have witnessed them unravel in this court."

Mr Smith said the older boy is prepared to accept he carried knives on the day of the incident and before. 

He told the jury: "One defendant is prepared to accept that he was responsible for the vast majority if not all of the injuries that poor Shaquan Fearon sustained and the injuries of Junior Inneh."

Mr Smith added despite the 15-year-old being forced to accept one of the knives must have come from his home address, he "ludicrously suggests" his co-defendant stole it from his house without him knowing. 

The 15-year-old also denied hearing Shaquan make a threat during the incident that he would get his gun and "blaze" the defendants. 

Shaquan is alleged to have told the defendants: "I'm going to get my ting, you're dead, I'm going to blaze you", but the younger boy testified that it "definitely wasn't said", the court heard.

Mr Smith told the jury: "What he is doing is sticking it to his co-defendant. 

"Why is he doing that? 

"Why is he putting that distance between himself and his co-defendant? 

"No joint enterprise."

Talking about the alleged gun threat, Mr Smith said his client didn't know where the gun was or if it was close at hand, but he had minutes to make a call as to what to do. 

Mr Smith told the jury: "He made that bad decision at the time."

Opening his closing remarks, Mr Smith told the jury the fact his client admits having carried a knife in the past does not indicate he is guilty of Shaquan's murder. 

He said like any other 17-year-old Shaquan "had the best years of his life ahead of him". 

He said: "Whatever happened that day, one thing that shouldn't have happened is his death. 

"That tragedy is compounded by the fact that his killers or killer is in this room, and are about 15 years old - that's a tragedy. 

"It's the sad truth that even a great city like London has in parts horrible problems. 

"And no-one who has sat through this trial can be blind to the tragedy of people carrying knives on the streets of this city."

Both defendants deny one count each of murder, attempted murder and wounding with intent.

The trial continues.