A 17-year-old has today been convicted of murdering Jay Hughes in Bellingham.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty at the Old Bailey and will be sentenced on August 2.

Jay, 15, was stabbed in the heart while waiting for a friend outside Morely’s chicken shop in Randlesdown Road on the evening of November 1.

He later died in hospital and the court heard how he was outside the fast food chain with a friend when a young man approached.

During the conversation a black Ford Galaxy pulled up and three males armed with large machete type knives ran towards Jay and his friend.

Jay did not run like his friend and the defendant approached him and stabbed him once in the heart.

A witness heard the person say "I got one" after the unprovoked attack.

The other boy got away and Jay staggered into the chicken shop as the car drove off at speed.

Police visited the defendant’s home in Penge on November 23 but the teenager had fled the scene. The car used by the defendant was captured on Morely's CCTV.

An officer later spotted him in Gravesend on December 10 and found him with a bladed article in his waistband.

READ ALSO: Bellingham community react to murder of teenager Jai Hughes

He was remanded in custody and eventually charged with murder.

Detective inspector David Hillier said: "Jay Hughes was just a 15-year-old child who was simply waiting for a friend and planning to spend the evening at a youth club; this could have been anyone’s child that evening. What Jay did not know, was that at that moment the defendant had armed himself with a knife and set out with others to do violence.

"Jay was talking to a friend when the events unfolded around him. Witnesses later told police he did nothing to provoke the attack, he did not even run. I doubt Jay really understood what was happening in front of him.

"The defendant wickedly approached and stabbed a defenceless child through the heart. A witness heard him boast that he had ‘got one’ and I am at loss to understand how anyone could crow about such a despicable act.

"The defendant then fled the scene, leaving a dying child and a family that has been devastated by a loss that is beyond imagining. However, we were determined to bring the person responsible for Jay’s murder to justice.

"The defendant was tracked down and arrested. Even after all the horror he inflicted with a weapon, a large hunting knife was found in the waistband of his trousers, even after stabbing a young child to death. The defendant throughout the trail denied his involvement claiming he did not know where he was that day. The jury saw through this and found him guilty of this heinous act. Even at the verdict, the defendant did not show any remorse.

"My heart goes out to Jay’s family and I can only hope that this guilty verdict will help in some small way.

"Lastly I would also like thank those people who came to Jay’s aid. Many people came to Jay’s aid that night and it is important that when wickedness has been done, the good that lies within a community is not forgotten."

Three others, a 21-year-old woman and two boys, 16 and 17, were arrested but were released under investigation.