A Thornton Heath man has been cleared of murdering a 25-year-old at a party in Dagenham.

Daniel Agyeman, 24, had been on trial with six others accused of stabbing to death Ashley Latty at a community hall on May 18 last year. 

Mr Latty, of Leyton, was stabbed in the heart during a "senseless attack" at the Beaver Centre and died less than two hours later.

A jury at the Old Bailey found Mr Agyeman not guilty of murder, as well as a second charge of attempted grievous bodily harm (GBH), at the Old Bailey today. 

Aimee Penfold, 25, of Croydon, was cleared of assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice.

Two men were jailed for life after being found guilty of murdering Mr Latty, who had been to a wedding party earlier on the day of his death.

Tyler Burton, 29, of Ilford, and Nicholas Terrelonge, 28, of Leytonstone, will each serve at least 20 years for the killing.

Mr Latty was stabbed five times, punched, kicked and hit with a bottle during minute-long attack as he waited to leave a ticketed party at the centre at 5.35am.

His attackers, who also attended the function, were seen on CCTV loitering next the entrance to the building before returning inside.

Kestrel Daniel Dyer, 26, of Barking, and Jerome Joseph, 28, of Newham, were each cleared of murder but convicted of attempted GBH and jailed for six-and-a-half years.

Nana Oppong, 34, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to attempted GBH at the start of the trial, but was found not guilty of murder. He was jailed for four years.

Damien Carnegie, 30, of Leytonstone, was cleared of both charges.

Detective Chief Inspector Neale Baldock, of the Metropolitan Police's homicide and major crime unit, said: "Ashley Latty went out that weekend with the sole intention of enjoying himself and his friends' company; earlier that Saturday he had been a guest at a wedding party.

"He was set upon by a group of men who launched a vicious attack, inflicting severe injuries, which ultimately led to his death.

"Today's convictions illustrate that if you partake in violence, regardless of the extent, you will be held accountable for your actions.

"We may not know for certain why this attack happened, but what we do know, is the number of families that have been torn apart by the senseless events of that morning."