Teenage gangsters who clashed on the street leaving one boy dead and another injured were acting like “kids on half term”, a court heard today.

Members of the Dagenham Boys and the Harts Lane gang armed themselves with knives and squared up to each other outside a leisure centre.

Olukorede Fajinmi, 17, known to his friends as Shadow, was fatally stabbed during the brawl and died at the scene on February 19 this year.

His friend, from the Dagenham Boys, took revenge minutes later and slashed his 16-year-old killer twice in the back, the Old Bailey has heard.

Witness Kris Palmer, who was driving past the leisure centre in Jenkins Lane, Beckton at the time, said in a statement: “They were like kids on half term.”

He continued driving but the road was blocked by crowds of teenagers.

“As the group allowed us to pass I could see a male in the centre of the carriageway,” he said. “He was lying there, the rest of the group were clearly agitated and running around.”

Winding down the car window Mr Palmer shouted to see if they needed help but could only hear cries of ‘he’s been stabbed’ and ‘get me a knife’.

He pulled into the car park of Powerleague and ran over to the victim, the court heard.

Fajinmi’s friend was shouting ‘wake up Shadow’ and poured water on his face.

Mr Palmer said: “He was still lying there motionless on his back and he was not breathing.

“I could immediately see an injury to his left breast, it was a hole about the size of a two pence piece.

“Blood was oozing out of it.”

Mr Palmer and his friend tried to apply first aid and remained until police and an ambulance arrived.

All of a sudden the group he had seen running through the area returned to the scene and ‘Shadow’s’ friends yelled: ‘That’s them’.

“Half of the youths ran towards this group,” Mr Palmer said.

“They then disappeared from view into an underpass.”

He heard the only white youth from the first gang plead with a police officer to keep him safe, yelling: “I’m from Dagenham”.

Others teens shouted back: ‘No you’re not.’

The court also heard the alleged killer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was picked up by an ambulance a short while later.

He had two stab wounds to the back.

The ambulance driver, who helped treat the teen, noted he was ‘very calm and relaxed’ which was ‘unusual’ after such an incident.

The suspected killer and his revenge attacker, also aged 16, are on trial together.

The revenge attacker’s mother is also on trial accused of helping him hide his jacket after the stabbing.

The alleged killer, from Barking, denies murdering Mr Fajinmi, who lived in Park Avenue, Ilford.

Mr Fajinmi’s friend, from Dagenham, He denies wounding with intent. He and his mother, also from Dagenham, deny perverting the course of justice.

The trial continues.