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This is the most vivid picture yet of the ongoing knife crime wave in London that is threatening to leave the capital city with the reputation of a no-go zone for tourists.

Following an investigation by Southwark CID the suspected attacker (a  youth who cannot be named for age reasons) appeared for trial at the Inner London Crown Court on 23 September charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of attempted murder.

He was found guilty of all three counts and will be sentenced next month.

Police had been called to an incident outside Tesco in the Old Kent Road at around 4.40pm on 28 November 2007. Three youths had suffered stabbing injuries. They were all taken by ambulance to separate London hospitals.

Victim 1 sustained a head injury and was taken to hospital. The knife was still embedded in his head. Victim 2 suffered a chest injury but was later discharged from hospital. Victim 3 suffered minor injuries to the shoulder and was discharged the following day.

The court heard that the defendant and two others tried to rob a boy outside Tesco. The intended victim's friends stepped in and were stabbed.

The defendant was seen running away having dropped his hat and his mobile phone at the crime scene . The items were recovered by the police and sent to the Forensic Science Service where a few days later the suspect was identified and then arrested at his home address.

The victims have recovered although the boy knifed in the head is still under close hospital supervision.

Following the trial, which included evidence given by an anonymous witness, the jury reached a unanimous verdict.