Teenager Liam Gleeson was today spared jail over his involvement in the killing of young dad Danny Parekh.
Gleeson, 17, has been banned from Nottingham for three months, ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work and given a two-year youth rehabilitation order.
Judge Michael Stokes QC told him that only "truly exceptional circumstances" had saved him from being locked up.
Gleeson, of Mayfair Avenue, Mansfield, was cleared of murdering Mr Parekh, instead being convicted of the lesser charge of encouraging or assisting the commission of grievous bodily harm.
Gleeson's cousin Joshua Davey is serving a life sentence after he was convicted of murdering Mr Parekh.
Nottingham Crown Court heard that Gleeson had worked hard to get his life back on track, including going back into education and doing work with the youth offending team.
Sentencing him, Judge Stokes told him he would normally have jailed him for two years.
He said: "Over the last 20 months there has been a considerable change in your behaviour and attitude.
"If you went to jail it would undo much of what has been achieved through the youth offending team."
The court heard that Gleeson had been attacked by Mr Parekh with a metal bar on July 8, 2012.
Gleeson responded by going home and telling his cousin Davey. The pair went out looking for Mr Parekh but failed to find him and went home again. After making phone calls they found out where Mr Parekh was and went out again.
Davey, of Deptford Crescent, Bulwell, stabbed Mr Parekh 16 times at a playground off Oakleigh Street, in Old Basford.
Gleeson was acquitted of murder on the basis he did not know that Davey had a knife with him.
Judge Stokes added: "You set off with him (Davey) effectively to assault Danny Parekh in such a way that he would receive a really serious injury.
"You were an immature 15-year-old behaving inappropriately towards your mother and towards others."
Davey, 21, was convicted at Leicester Crown Court in April and told he would serve at least 21 years before he could even apply for parole.
In mitigation for Gleeson, his barrister John Aspinall QC admitted that his client had played an "active part" in finding Mr Parekh.
But he added: "Davey took control of the circumstances. This was not Mr Gleeson inciting Davey, but circumstances in which Davey lost his temper, armed himself with a knife - unbeknown to my client - and took control of events thereafter."
He added that Gleeson had endured a difficult time leading up to the incident, having moved from Wales to live with his mum in Nottingham after his dad became homeless.
Tim Spencer QC, prosecuting, said the jury's verdict "must mean that they were not sure that this defendant, Liam Gleeson, knew of the possession of the knife".
Mr Spencer told the court that Gleeson had three other matters on his record, all of which predated the death of Mr Parekh.
On one occasion he was convicted of battery after throwing a roof tile at a boy. On another occasion he robbed a boy of his bike, telling him he was going to punch him in the nose and get 150 people to "step on him".
