A man who was in a Watford drugs den when teenager Koy Bentley was stabbed to death has been jailed for 16 months.

Abdi Ali, 22, was part of conspiracy to supply class A drugs from the squalid flat in Water Lane.

It was there on the afternoon of June 5 last year that Ali was present when Koy, who was 15 years old, was stabbed and died a short while later.

Last month a 16 year old youth from North London was cleared at St Albans crown court of murdering Koy.

He told the jury that it was Ali who had stabbed the teenager.

Ali, who himself had been a prosecution witness at the trial, told the jury Koy had been killed by the 16 year old.

On Tuesday (8/5) Ali of Boundfield Road, Lewisham appeared in custody back at St Albans crown court to plead guilty to a charge of conspiring to supply class A drugs and perverting the course of justice.

Judge Andrew Bright QC jailed him for 16 months.

At the trial of the 16 year old last month, the prosecution’s case had been that the accused who can’t be named for legal reasons, Ali and Koy were all involved in supplying heroin and crack cocaine from the flat.

They operated a special phone line and callers could visit the flat to buy class A drugs.

On the afternoon of June 5 last year two young women were in a bedroom at the flat smoking heroin and crack cocaine which they had just purchased with bottles of aftershave they had shoplifted from Watford town centre that day.

In the lounge area was Koy, the 16 year old and Ali.

The older man told the jury he thought Koy at first assumed he had been punched and as they were staring at the blood he began to lose consciousness.

He died a short while later at the flat.

But giving evidence the defendant told the jury Koy had been stabbed by Ali.

He said Koy had been sitting on the swivel chair when the man suddenly asked him “What happened to that pack I gave you?”

The defendant said Koy told the man he had lost it

The older man, he said, then asked the 15 year old “What do you mean you have lost a pack.”

Continuing his evidence he said he didn’t think it looked serious, but he said the older man began saying to the boy “Why are you not speaking?”

He said he couldn't see Koy because the older man was standing in front of him.

He told the jury “That’s when he (the older man) stepped back to where he was sitting and grabbed the white knife.”

The defendant said he thought the man was going to threaten Koy with it to make him speak and again he said to the youngster “Why are you not talking?”

As he said it, the man was pointing the blade at Koy, he said.

The teenager said Koy then stood up and unzipped his top and blood was “pouring out” of the wounds.

He said he put an Adidas top that belonged to Koy to the side where he had been stabbed and applied pressure to the wounds.

Moments later, after grabbing his phone charger and cigarette box, he and the man left the flat.

In an alleyway nearby he said Ali had put the knife under a bush

Ali in his evidence to the court said the teenager had hidden the knife under the bush.

At the start of his trial the 16 year old admitted a charge of conspiring to supply class A drugs and is to be sentenced later this month.