Teenager, 16, is fighting for life in hospital after being stabbed ‘for his Apple AirPods’ in fight on street lined with multi-million pound houses in Essex commuter town as police find 12inch knife at scene
- Boy believed to have been stabbed during fight between number of teens today
- He was treated by paramedics in Brentwood at 4.30pm yesterday afternoon
- Neighbour said she heard the fight broke out over boy’s Apple AirPods
A teenage boy is fighting for his life after being stabbed in a fight over his ‘Apple Airpods’ on a millionaire’s estate and police have found a 12-inch knife in a hedge nearby.
The carnage unfolded in broad daylight yesterday afternoon in Hutton, Essex, at roughly 4.30pm yards from wealthy families.
It is understood the 16-year-old boy was knifed in a brawl between several youths on the leafy roads where homes sell for as much as £4.4million.
The area – known locally as Hutton Mount – is peppered with wide private roads lined with detached mock-Tudor mansions beloved by City high flyers who can commute to Liverpool Street in under an hour. Cops are now hunting a track-suit clad thug as the victim fights for his life in intensive care.
The 16-year-old boy is believed to have been stabbed during a fight which broke out between a number of boys in Mount Avenue, Brentwood, yesterday afternoon
Today forensic offices were searching bushes yards from the sprawling drives home to Teslas, BMWs and Bentleys.
Specialists pulled a 12in kitchen knife with an eight-inch blade from a hedge in the affluent estate.
The muddy blade had been bent as if used with extreme force and quickly discarded into the undergrowth.
Affluent dog walkers strolled past the team as they combed the cordoned off scene for clues -with locals on the estate left shocked by the knifing.
It is not known what sparked the violence, but it is believed the row stemmed from a dispute over high-end Apple AirPod headphones.
A mother whose house overlooks the scene said: ‘Everyone seems to say it was a 16-year-old and it was a mugging or fight over AirPods.
Police found a knife with an eight-inch blade in a hedge near the scene of the crime
‘It’s shocking it happened down here and I have children the same age. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare, I pay a lot of money to live down here so my children can be safe – but nowhere is safe these days.’
She added: ‘No-one knows what happened. Some people say it started at the train station and ended here, or the victim was followed here and attacked.
‘No-one really knows it is so frightening.’
Another local added: ‘I can’t believe it has happened here, it is very quiet, and these are nice houses.
‘Lots of the houses are on private roads on this estate and we pay to maintain it.
‘Hopefully it was caught on CCTV as so many homes have cameras.’
The scene of the stabbing is a short walk from Shenfield train station and just minutes from Brentwood town centre – made famous by the glamorous cast of reality show The Only Way is Essex.
A neighbour, who didn’t want to be named, said: ‘I heard a 16 year old boy had been attacked for his AirPods’
In the wake of the attack detectives are appealing for information and placed an emergency dispersal zone on the affluent estate.
No arrests have been made in the wake of the stabbing.
A spokesman for the force said: ‘The boy is believed to have been injured after a fight broke out between a number of boys in Mount Avenue, Hutton near to the junction with Hutton Gate.
‘During the altercation the teenager was stabbed. The victim was treated by paramedics at the scene and has now been taken to hospital.
‘One of the suspects is described as wearing a black jacket and black jogging bottoms.’
Detectives would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident, anyone in the area who saw anyone matching the description of the suspect and anyone who may have Dashcam, CCTV or Ring doorbell footage which could help our investigation.’