A 15-year-old has been convicted of murdering his 12-year-old friend after luring him to woodland and attempting to decapitate him.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, repeatedly stabbed Roberts Buncis on ground off Alcorn Green in Fishtoft near Boston, Lincolnshire, on December 12 last year, just two days before his 13th birthday.

A trial at Lincoln Crown Court heard that the defendant “intended at the very least to inflict serious violence” on his young victim because “he was a snitch”.

The teenager claimed Roberts had taken the knife to the scene and he “lost control” when the youngster attempted to stab him.

Jurors dismissed the defendant’s account, and instead concluded he was “motivated by anger and tried to punish the deceased rather than losing self-control”.

The youth admitted manslaughter mid way through his trial but denied murder.