He is due to stand trial next June
By

The 14-year-old charged with murdering a Chingford father-of-three this summer has pleaded not guilty.

The teenage boy, who cannot be named due to his age, appeared at the Old Bailey on 2nd November and pleaded his innocence.

James Markham, 45, died on 9th August, reportedly after confronting a group of young people shouting at his daughter outside the family’s Churchill Terrace home.

A post-mortem revealed he was stabbed twice, in the neck and in the chest, with the latter fatal wound piercing his lung.

The suspect, who was charged with murder, possessing a knife and breaching a criminal behaviour order, is due to stand trial next June.

Speaking shortly after the shocking death, Waltham Forest Council’s cabinet member for community safety, Ahsan Khan, said his heart “goes out to” James’ grieving family.

He added: “Your pain is our pain and the people of Waltham Forest grieve with you.

“Incidents like this should never happen in our city. Waltham Forest Council works hard with a range of partners to tackle at root the factors that draw some of our young people into violence.

“We have invested heavily in our Violence Reduction Partnership programme, which aims to strengthen the community, support local families, and reduce violence in Waltham Forest so that our residents feel safer.

“However, we know there is more to do. We are determined to use all the resources we have available to us to achieve it.”

A second boy, also aged 14, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder but later released under investigation.

A 16-year-old girl, who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, was also released under investigation.

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