One teenager has admitted murdering another on Irvine beach, as two others stand trial accused of carrying out the fatal attack alongside him.
Cole Turley, 18, pleaded guilty to the murder of 16-year-old Kayden Moy, who died following the incident on the North Ayrshire seafront on May 17 last year. The admission was disclosed to jurors at the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday as they were sworn in for the trial of two co-accused. Jay Stewart, 18, and a 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, deny all charges against them and have lodged special defences of incrimination.
The prosecution alleges that Stewart and the 15-year-old, acting along with Turley, pursued Kayden Moy, causing him to fall to the ground, and then repeatedly stabbed him on the body with a knife, leaving him so badly injured that he died. The indictment further states that Stewart and the 15-year-old harboured previous ill-will and malice towards Kayden.
Victim remembered as ‘kind and caring’
Kayden Moy was from East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire. His family has paid tribute to him, describing him as their “best friend” and “everything”. He was a former youth player for Busby AFC, a club that said it was “devastated” by his death; his grandfather is a long-term volunteer at the club and coaches Kayden’s younger brother. Kayden was a pupil at Duncanrigg Secondary School in East Kilbride, where the headteacher described him as a “kind and caring young man and full of character”.
After the attack, Kayden was found seriously injured on the beach and taken to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, where he died a short time later. Police Scotland initially said they believed the attack was “targeted” and that there was no risk to the wider public.
The attempted justice charges
In addition to murder, Stewart and the 15-year-old face a number of other charges, the most detailed of which relate to allegations that they attempted to pervert the course of justice over four days between May 17 and 21 last year, across Irvine, East Kilbride and elsewhere.
Prosecutors allege that the two defendants wiped a knife on the ground to remove blood, and later hid knives in a divan bed frame and a freezer. It is also alleged they discarded their blood-stained clothing, phoned someone and asked them to retrieve and burn the clothes, and changed into alternative clothing. The alleged actions are said to have been aimed at concealing evidence of the murder.
Further charges against both defendants include possessing a knife or similar instrument on the day of the killing. They are also accused of challenging others to fight and brandishing knives and a baton or similar instruments at Irvine beach on May 17 last year. In addition, prosecutors allege they “culpably and recklessly” threw rocks at members of the public there, placing them in danger of injury. Stewart separately faces a charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and sending threatening messages via social media on May 1, 2025.
Rising knife crime and local context
The case comes against a backdrop of rising knife crime involving young people in Scotland. In 2024, Police Scotland recorded 91 cases of under-18s being found in possession of bladed weapons, equating to one case every four days. Teenagers accounted for almost a third of all positive knife searches across all age groups. In the two months leading up to Kayden’s death, Scotland recorded another fatality and at least 11 knife-related injuries involving young people. Police Scotland has reported a 600% increase in serious assaults committed by teenagers over the past five years.
North Ayrshire, where Irvine is located, has seen an increase in violent crime, particularly common assaults. In the second quarter of the 2024/25 financial year, violent crime rose by 4.0% on the previous year and 11.5% on the five-year average. The area’s crime rate is higher than the Scottish average, with 344.9 crimes per 10,000 population compared to 331.2 nationally. In 2024, Irvine West was identified as the “most dangerous” area in North Ayrshire in terms of recorded crimes per 10,000 population, with 1,260 offences.
The investigation into Kayden’s death led to multiple arrests. A 17-year-old male was the first to be charged in connection with the death, appearing in court on May 20, 2025. A second 17-year-old male was arrested and charged, appearing in court on May 23, 2025. A 14-year-old boy was later arrested and charged, becoming the third person apprehended. The current trial, involving Jay Stewart and the 15-year-old, reflects how the ages and identities of the accused have been clarified as the legal process has progressed.
Judge Lord Scott charged the jury on Tuesday afternoon, telling them: “This case must be decided by you the jury on the basis of the evidence in court.” The trial was adjourned for the day and will continue on Wednesday.
