A TEENAGER has told a murder trial how he witnessed his 16-year-old “best friend” being stabbed to death on Irvine Beach by members of a rival gang.
The 17-year-old gave recorded evidence to police in the trial of Jay Stewart, 18, and a 15-year-old, who are accused of killing Kayden Moy on May 17, 2025.
The murder charge says Stewart and the 15-year-old boy, while acting with Cole Turley, 18, pursued Mr Moy and caused him to fall to the ground before they repeatedly stabbed him to the body.
It is alleged that Stewart and the other teenager had previous ill will and malice towards him.
Turley had pleaded guilty before trial to the murder charge. The two teens on trial have lodged a special defence of incrimination against him.
The 17-year-old witness gave recorded evidence to police officers two weeks after the alleged murder which was played to jurors. He told officers that he and a group of friends, including Mr Moy - who are part of the Himshie gang of Greenhills, East Kilbride and Lanarkshire - travelled to Irvine Beach together.
The teenager said that his group was sitting on sand dunes at the beach when he and another boy initially got into a revenge attack on an unrelated youth on behalf of the Himshie gang.
Later that day, the teenager claimed rocks “the size of hands” were thrown at his group from above but did not make contact. When asked by detective constable Scott Steven who threw the rocks, the teenager said Stewart, Turley and the 15-year old were responsible.
The witness stated that he knew the trio who were part of the Murray Boys gang in East Kilbride, with whom they had previously been friends.
The witness told jurors that he, Mr Moy and another boy went up the sand dune to "confront" Stewart, Turley and the 15-year-old.
It was stated that the groups were 10 feet from each other when Turley brought out a knife and Stewart revealed a cosh.
The teenager claimed that they told the pair to get rid of their weapons and offered to “box” them. The boy said: “I ran to the right of [Turley] as has Kayden. He ran behind me.
“I jumped over the grass ledge and Kayden kind of slipped and Cole Turley jumped on him.”
The boy stated that he saw Mr Moy being stabbed once but was aware he was struck three times.
The teenager claimed that Stewart shouted “Murray Boys” and “Yass” as well as “f**k yous” while Turley remained silent. It was claimed that the 15-year-old “did not hit anyone” but had shouted threats and thrown the rocks.
When asked what the trio were there for, the teenager said: “Probably, they came for us. One hundred per cent. Apparently they were at Troon or Ayr and came to Irvine. They came and found us.
“It was planned. How would they know what sand dune we were on? There were so many people around.”
The boy recalled he and the other boy taking Mr Moy down to the beach before they were surrounded by others.
He said: “I remember blood going down Kayden’s leg and Kayden going really white and his eyes started to close.”
It was stated that a woman claiming to be a nurse put pressure on the wound before medics arrived after 15 to 20 minutes. The boy stated that he told a police officer at the scene: “My best friend was stabbed off Cole Turley.”
Donald Findlay KC, defending Stewart, put to the teenager that his client did not run after him once the attack on Mr Moy took place, and he replied: "Yes."
When asked by the defence counsel if the scene was "total chaos", the teenager again replied: "Yes."
Mark Stewart KC, defending the 15-year-old, asked if Mr Moy had a bottle in his possession during the confrontation.
The teenager replied: "I don't remember, I don't think he did."
The witness went on to deny when put to him by Mr Stewart that Mr Moy threw the bottle.
The court earlier heard evidence from detective constable Ally Dunne, 45, who was taken through a number of still and moving images from the incident.
A still image taken from Snapchat was shown to jurors by prosecutor Liam Ewing KC.
He said: “We can see this man dressed in black, who is Cole Turley, and you can see Kayden Moy lying on top of the sand dune on his side?”
DC Dunne replied: “Yes.”
In cross examination, Mr Findlay said: “This was a striking image of a young man holding a knife in his right hand and that knife is raised?”
DC Dunne: “Yes”
Mr Findlay later said: “These are graphic images of Cole Turley committing the murder?”
The detective constable again replied: “Yes.”
Mr Findlay: “At that point in time he was a lone attacker?"
DC Dunne: “Yes.”
In reference to video footage which started before the incident, Mr Findlay said: “You see four people - three males and one female - it was only one person who carried this exercise and went up [a sand dune] and came back down?”
DC Dunne said: “Yes.”
The two teens also face other charges, which include attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The trial continues before Judge Lord Scott.
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