An accused killer confessed to “shanking” teenager Danny O’Shea following a botched revenge attack, the Old Bailey heard today.

Danny, 18, was knifed to death in an attack yards from his home on Butchers Road, Custom House, on December 2 2011 allegedly organised by sports agent Christopher Nathaniel, 41, after his business partner Paul Boadi was robbed of his BlackBerry.

Andrew Johnson, 35, one of the eight men allegedly recruited by Nathaniel and Boadi, has since blamed Nugent Rowe, 28, for the killing.

Johnson claims he and his brother Paul Johnson alongside Kevin Richards saw Rowe run down an alleyway chasing a group of youths before returning to the van and confessing to the stabbing.

Johnson said: “I remember Nugent said he shanked someone soon after we got back in the van.”

Howard Godfrey QC, defending Rowe, asked why they drove off without giving the victim first aid.

Johnson replied: “Because I couldn’t believe what Nugent had said and I wasn’t driving the van.”

Johnson said he did not tell police in two interviews that Rowe was the one who stabbed Danny because he was told not to by his solicitor and exercised his right to no comment.

Boadi and Nathaniel, both of Hertsmere Road, Poplar; Scott Marius, of Maida Vale; Paul Johnson, of Harrow; Richards, of Willesden; O’Neil Wareham, Harrow; Andrew Johnson, of Harrow; Ferron Perue, Harrow; Rowe, of Pinner; and David Hylton of Bloomsbury all deny murder and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.