A TEENAGER has been jailed for life after he stabbed a family man in a “merciless” revenge killing.

Nicholas Bridge used a hunting knife to repeatedly stab 36-year-old Anthony Williams.

The 18-year-old ran a drugs gang in Sussex, but his pal Daniel Onofeghare, 20, reported that he was “rushed and robbed” by Mr Williams the night before.

So they launched a manhunt to find him in Horsham.

Bridge killed Mr Williams while Onofeghare stood guard with a knife to stop anyone else from helping.

The duo left in blood soaked clothes, but were stopped by armed police at a nearby railway station as they tried to flee to London.

At Brighton Crown Court Judge Jeremy Gold sentenced Bridge to life in prison for murder, while Onofeghare was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter.

Philip Bennetts QC, prosecuting, said the killing happened in September last year, and said witnesses reported Bridge boasting with the murder weapon before the attack.

“If anyone tried robbing me, this is what they are getting,” Bridge said.

Mr Bennetts QC said: “It was an immediate attack, they stabbed him on a number of occasions, and one of those wounds caused his death.

“It was a short, merciless and vicious attack.”

During a three-week trial in May and June this year, Bridge, of Loughborough Park in Brixton, and Onofeghare, of no fixed address, denied murder.

They claimed to have acted in self defence, but the jury found them guilty.

So the killers appeared at Brighton Crown Court yesterday for sentencing, where Bridge was told he would go to prison for life, and would serve a minimum of 24 years.

The judge told him: “Mr Bridge, you attacked Mr Williams with ferocity, you inflicted a number of deep wounds to his abdomen. I have no doubt that you intended to kill him and succeeded in doing so.

“Mr Williams had no chance given the ferociousness and the hunting knife which you attacked him with.

“This murder was committed in the course of running a drug supply operation. You were just 18 years of age, but at the end of the day, this was a merciless and premeditated killing.”

The judge told Onofeghare that he was also culpable, because he knew that his pal Bridge was carrying a knife to the scene with the intent to use it.

Onofeghare had a previous eight-month suspended sentence after chasing a man down Lewisham High Street into a charity shop.

He tried to break into the shop using a fire extinguisher, and the smashed glass caused an injury to a shop worker inside.

Mr Williams was a father of three and eldest sibling of five.The judge said that there was no evidence that he was a drug dealer, but the 36-year-old had been a drug user who had experienced “peaks and troughs” in his life.

In a statement his family said: “In the past few months since we have all been living our worst nightmare.

“We have regular, nightmares as do Tony’s children.

“How will we explain to his three gorgeous sons how and why their father isn’t here?”