Romeo Daley grew up in the Moss Side area of Manchester, a neighbourhood with a long history of poverty, postcode rivalries, and entrenched gang culture. He was 18 years old at the time of his conviction in early 2021. Like his co-defendants, Daley was involved with AO (Active Only), a gang operating out of the Moss Side neighborhood in Manchester. AO was considered one of the successors to Manchester’s older and more violent criminal groups, the Gooch and Doddington gangs.

On the evening of 26 July 2020, Greater Manchester Police responded to a violent disturbance on Henbury Street in Moss Side. The incident involved multiple stabbings, and when officers arrived, they discovered that four young men had been attacked. Among them was 17-year-old Mohamoud Mohamed, who died at the scene from severe stab wounds.

The attack occurred just a month after a mass shooting in the same neighbourhood, which had already heightened concerns about escalating gang violence. Investigators quickly tied the stabbing to the ongoing feud between Rusholme Crips and Moss Side’s AO. Tensions had been visible in online exchanges, music lyrics, and videos released by members of both gangs.

Daley, along with three other AO‑affiliated youths — Daneaco Reid (19), Jamall Walters (18), and a 17-year-old boy — was arrested the following day, 27 July 2020, after police identified the group as suspects in the killing. All four were initially charged with murder.

During the trial, prosecutors introduced drill music released by AO members, including tracks that referenced Mohamed directly and contained violent threats. Although the lyrics themselves were not evidence of direct participation by Daley, they were used to demonstrate the hostile gang environment that motivated the attack.

The court ultimately determined that while the four young men participated in the attack that resulted in Mohamed’s death, the prosecution could not prove the intent required for a murder conviction. On 12 February 2021, Daley and his co-defendants were convicted of manslaughter.