A man who stabbed his friend to death after exchanging insults on WhatsApp has been found guilty of murder.

Paul Akinnuoye, 20, of Cobbetts Ride, Tunbridge Wells, was convicted at the Old Bailey today following the death of 19-year-old Jordan Wright in Blackheath last April.

The college graduate, who was due to start an apprenticeship in the construction industry when he was attacked, died after being stabbed in the chest.

Sentencing will take place at a date yet to be fixed within the next month.

In the hours leading up to the killing, Jordan and Akinnuoye had both been part of a group chat on WhatsApp which developed into an argument between the two, escalating to the point that they made arrangements to meet for a pre-arranged fight to settle their differences.

CCTV footage before the attack captured the two meeting up and showed Akkinuoye being physically held back from Jordan following an exchange of words.

The group entered a park where a fight ensued, during which Jordan was fatally stabbed in the chest. Helped out of the park, the teenager collapsed at its entrance after saying: "I feel unwell".

Local residents came to his aid and gave first aid until ambulance crews arrived and took him to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he later died.

A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as a wound to the chest. Other stabbing injuries were also found on his body.

Inquiries established that it was Akinuoye who had been involved in the disagreement with Jordan, and he was arrested on April 26.

The murder weapon was recovered from shrubbery in the park. Inquiries found the same knife had gone missing from the home of Akinnuoye, and on September 1, he was re-arrested and charged with Jordan’s murder.

In a victim impact statement, Jordan's mother, Katharine Alade, revealed that the trauma caused by her son's death had left her feeling so distressed that she had contemplated suicide.

She said: "You don't realise until it happens to you how far reaching one moment of madness can be and what an impact it can make on your life forever.

"There is not one day when I don't shed tears. I didn't think it was possible to feel such physical, psychological or mental pain until that fateful day last April.

"I think of him every day... of what he would have achieved in life - he is gone, but not forgotten" - Jordan's father, Neville Wright

"I know I will never be the same. It is now nearly a year later and I still feel as depressed as I did the day I went to Queen Elizabeth's Hospital in Woolwich to be told that my son did not make it."

Ms Alade also said that despite enduring challenges from having autism, Jordan had wanted for nothing and was happy and loving.

The condition did contribute however, she believed, towards his "innocent" outlook to life, meaning that he did not fully take on board the dangers on the streets such as knife crime, gangs and violence.

Jordan's father, Neville Wright, also talked of how the son's unfulfilled potential haunted him on a dailly basis.

He said: "Jordan was my son, his death has changed my life forever. He was very loving, funny and a very caring person, as well as a very popular person. I think of him every day... of what he would have achieved in life - he is gone, but not forgotten."

Detective Inspector Jo Sideaway, of the Met Police's Homicide and Major Crime Command, added: "This murder left Jordan's family devastated and was a big shock to the local community; seemingly over a minor dispute between two young men.

"While nothing will ever make up for this needless loss of life, I hope that today's guilty verdict will bring some closure for his loved ones."

Three other men who were arrested on suspicion of murder on May 4 and released under investigation, were all released without charge.