Boy who plunged from seventh floor flat was caught up in drugs turf war

A boy of 16 who plunged 60ft to his death from a tower block while fleeing a knife-wielding gang was caught up in a drugs turf war and was not the intended target, it was claimed today.

Friends said Ahmed Benyermak was being chased by a gang of violent hoodies because the group he was with were dealing drugs on the gang's "turf ".

He had tried to escape the youths, believed to have been armed with knives, by climbing down the outside of balconies from the 13th floor.

But as he reached the seventh floor, he found a metal grille blocking his way.

Horrified residents suggested that the chasing gang pushed Ahmed over or even stamped on his hands until he lost his grip.

Witness James Roberts, 45, said: 'A gang of kids was chasing him  -  there were about five of them  -  and they were probably trying to stab him or something. He tried to climb down each balcony but then he fell.'

A neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, said: 'He was being chased by a gang with knives and got stuck outside the seventh floor.

'I was told they caught up with him and knocked him down. They were banging on his hands to make him fall, to make sure he lost his grip.'

Police sources suggested last night, however, that the death had all the hallmarks of a tragic accident that had been triggered by panic.