Kayden Moy murder trial: jury urged to convict two teens over Irvine Beach stabbing

Prosecutor tells Glasgow High Court the accused travelled to Irvine Beach armed and seeking revenge before fatally stabbing 16-year-old Kayden Moy.

Prosecution closes Kayden Moy murder case at Glasgow High Court

Two teenagers acted in concert to murder 16-year-old Kayden Moy on Irvine Beach on 17 May 2025, the prosecution told the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday, according to bbc.co.uk.

Advocate depute Liam Ewing KC urged the jury to convict Jay Stewart, 18, and a 15-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons. A third accused, Cole Turley, 18, pleaded guilty to the murder before the trial began.

Ewing told jurors the three had "done what they came to do" after Moy was stabbed to death during a confrontation between rival groups on the beach.

Gang rivalry behind the attack

The prosecution said Stewart, Turley and the unnamed teenager were members of the Murray Boys gang from East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire. Moy and his friends were members of the rival Himshie gang.

The group travelled to Irvine after learning that a 17-year-old associate had earlier been involved in a fight with a member of Moy's group. Ewing said the journey was made "for the purposes of retaliation or retribution."

Stewart had previously threatened Moy with violence on social media before the attack, the advocate depute stated.

Events on the beach

The charge against Stewart and the 15-year-old alleges the pair, while acting with Turley, pursued Moy, caused him to fall to the ground, and repeatedly stabbed him.

During the confrontation between the two groups, Stewart was described as "jumping back and forward" and "ready for a fight." Rocks were thrown, Ewing said, not to strike anyone but "to flush out the Himshie group to invoke a reaction — and it did so."

After Turley carried out the stabbing, Stewart was said to have looked at Moy "aggressively" and stated he deserved it. Footage was also cited showing the three running down a road minutes after the attack.

Aftermath: taxi, handshakes and a song

The three teenagers were seen shaking hands with and embracing Turley before taking a taxi from Irvine back to East Kilbride, the court heard. They then went to the home of 19-year-old Fraser Wallace, who was acquainted with Turley.

According to Ewing, all three asked Wallace whether Moy had died. On being told Moy was still alive at that point, the group began singing a song about him — with lyrics including "Kayden bop" — as Stewart and the teenager touched their stomach and leg. Reference was also made to the victim being "cheffed up," the advocate depute said.

Knife and DNA evidence

Ewing told jurors that, according to Wallace's evidence, the 15-year-old stated he had passed the lock-back knife — the murder weapon — to Turley before the stabbing. Jurors had previously heard that no identifiable trace of the teenager's DNA was found on the knife following analysis.

Closing arguments

Ewing pressed the jury to find that the accused had acted with a common criminal purpose alongside Turley. "The evidence establishes that there was a common criminal purpose and there was scope in the use of violence to cause serious injury, and with that carried an obvious risk to life," he said.

All charges other than murder had previously been withdrawn against both accused.

Donald Findlay KC, representing Stewart, and Ian Duguid KC, representing the 15-year-old, are due to deliver their closing speeches to the jury on Thursday. The trial continues before Judge Lord Scott.

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)