A teenager has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison after a man died over a row about stolen cannabis.

Ben Lines, aged 20, was stabbed at 2.50pm, on October 13 in Barnehurst Avenue in Bexleyheath, and died shortly before 5.30pm that same day after being taken to hospital.

His killer, now 17, appeared at the Old Bailey where he was found guilty of manslaughter, having previously pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm and not guilty to murder.

The teenager, who was 16 years old when the incident occurred, arranged to buy cannabis from Ben but did not pay and left in a car with two other teenagers.

Ben followed the car and the two vehicles later collided, which led to a fight between the occupants of the vehicles.

Witnesses called police who arrived at Barnehurst Avenue at 3pm.

When officers arrived, Ben was receiving first aid from members of the public, an off-duty police officer and the London Ambulance Service on a grass bank area at the junction with Barnehurst Avenue and Merewood Road.

Also on the grass was a black Ford Fiesta, which had left tyre marks showing the vehicle had collided with a tree, and nearby was an abandoned silver VW Golf that appeared to have crashed into a parked vehicle.

Residents who witnessed the immediate aftermath of the crash, reported seeing Ben get out of the driver’s seat of a Ford Fiesta and approach the Golf, before the front passenger, the 17-year-old boy, got out of the car.

The two started fighting, and witnesses reported seeing the passenger produce a knife and stab Ben.

The teenager then discarded the knife in the car and ran off with the driver of the Golf.

Residents attempted to detain both boys, but the 17-year-old punched a 41-year-old man in the face and the two boys managed to flee the scene.

The man suffered a cut lip and a swollen face and the teenager pleaded guilty to the assault in court.

Police were able to identify the passenger of the Golf and the 17-year-old attended a police station where he was arrested for murder.

While he admitted being at the scene, he denied any involvement in Ben’s death, but was later charged with murder and ABH on October 15.

Detective Inspector Tariq Farooqi, from Specialist Crime (Homicide), who led the investigation, said: “No sentence will ever replace or bring Ben back. The result of this tragic loss of life in the words of Ben’s mum will leave the family living a life sentence, never being able to be part of any special occasion again. A poignant message considering today would have been Ben’s 21st birthday.

“This was an incredibly tragic event that led to a young man losing his life. Regardless of the events that led up to Ben’s death, it in no way justifies the violence and the awful events that followed.

“I want to praise the bravery of members of the local community who not only gave evidence at court but also intervened at personal risk to themselves to prevent Ben’s attacker leaving the scene and gave Ben CPR. I hope their actions, alongside the verdict reached by the jury, can be of some comfort to Ben’s family and friends.

“This tragic loss of life sadly further underscores the utter senselessness of knife crime, no good ever comes from carrying a knife. The Met remains committed to tackling knife crime as evidenced by the swift actions of my team to identify, arrest and charge the person responsible for Ben’s death.”

A 16-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of attempted murder has been released with no further action, while another 17-year-old boy was charged with driving offences and ABH, and will stand trial at a magistrates’ court at a later date.

Anyone with information about crime can contact independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. It is independent of police, and is 100% anonymous. They do not ask your name and cannot trace your call or IP address.

Read more: all the latest news from Bromley and Bexley.