Father-of-two, 26, was stabbed to death by 'masked Rolex ripper' during robbery as he walked back to his car with girlfriend outside luxury Knightsbridge restaurant
Blue Stevens, 26, died in broad daylight outside the £1,650-a-night 5-star Park Tower Hotel and Casino, which is directly across the road from the Harvey Nichols department store in central London.
His murder came hours after London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan promised a police blitz on crime in the capital, including tackling knife crime and robberies.
Blue's friends have claimed that he had just been for a 'posh meal' when a masked mugger attempted to snatch his gold watch while riding a bike or e-scooter.
He is from a family of famous boxers and was fatally stabbed in the chest when he fought back. His grandfather was celebrated heavyweight Les Stevens, who won bronze at the 1970 Commonwealth Games.
Friends said Blue, from Hampshire, loved buying the 'sparkliest' watches he could find and was pictured recently on social media wearing a Datejust 36mm oystersteel and gold Rolex, which is worth £12,250.
MailOnline can reveal he was walking towards his BMW with his girlfriend when he was ambushed outside one of the capital's most salubrious casinos, next door to Nusr-Et, the steakhouse run by celebrity chef Salt Bae.
The 26-year-old died at the scene and his partner Tayla Marie, who had fought to save him, laid flowers there this afternoon. Her note said: 'To my Blue. We are absolutely devastated without you. You took a piece of my heart with you. A part of me has gone with you. I love you more than absolutely anyone in this world. My boy forever and always.'
His mother Charlie took to Facebook and said simply: 'Please. I want him back', adding: 'Everyone in your life will have a last day with you, and you won't even know when it will be. Cherish them before it's too late'.
Blue Stevens with his son. He loved watches, his friends said today and revealed that he was walking back to his car with his partner after a meal where he was murdered for his Rolex
The victim had two children, including a little girl (pictured together)
His sister shared this image and tribute, showing him wearing one of his beloved watches
His partner left flowers at the scene of his murder today and said: 'We are absolutely devastated without you. You took a piece of my heart with you. A part of me has gone with you'
The couple were walking back to their car when Blue was attacked. Their BMW X3 was parked just 100 metres away and remains cordoned off behind police tape.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Tayla Marie had been was with her partner when he was stabbed last night around 9.30pm.
Their BMW X3 was parked just 100 metres away from where he died and remains cordoned off behind police tape.
A khaki-coloured New York Yankees baseball cap had been left on the dashboard while sunglasses and a hairbrush were left in a glove box. A child's seat is on the rear passenger side of the vehicle.
He was attacked seconds before heading home, for his watch.
Tearful cousins and friends have laid flowers at the scene.
One said: 'He was always smiling, always happy. His children was his life. He had a boy and a girl. '
Another friend added: 'He was the best dad. He even helped me with my kids'.
When asked about his love for watches, another friend said: 'He liked the sparkliest one he could find.'
His siblings have also left tributes in social media. His sister Jenna shared pictures of Blue and said: 'Can't believe I'm writing this but RIP my brother I love you with my whole heart and forever'.
She went on: 'You always managed to make everyone smile or laugh, gave everything you had to us when we needed the most and now the only thing we need now is you and we can't have it. My brother I know you'll keep it lit up there. I love you always'.
Blue is from a family of boxers.
His grandfather Les Stevens went on a 15-fight winning streak as a professional before retiring in 1979. In his career he had 23 wins and just five defeats.
Les then devoted 40 years of his life to training boxers and died in 2020 of Covid-19.
The murder scene this morning outside the Park Tower Casino in London's Knightsbridge this morning
The tent showing where the murder victim died, allegedly when a robber tried to snatch his gold watch and he fought back
The Park Tower Hotel and Casino is next door to Nusr-Et, the steakhouse run by celebrity chef Salt Bae (pictured today)
The stabbing took place at around 9.30pm last night in Seville Street, which is also close to Harrods, a host of luxury stores and Hyde Park. The Park Tower Hotel and Casino.
Police are hunting for the killer but have not made any arrests.
A worker at a luxury hotel near the murder scene said: 'I was working there last night. My secretary told me a masked man tried to rob his watch. It was a couple. But the guy pulled out his hand and he took out his knife and stabbed him.
'The couple were walking along the pavement and he tried to fight back but the guy took the knife and stabbed him in the chest.
'The police chased the guy but I don't think they caught him. I saw a little bit of the CCTV. I saw the man lying out on the pavement, a woman was supporting him and crying. There was a lot of blood. He was wearing a white or cream coloured t-shirt. He was unconscious. '
The worker said they believed the attacker was on an e-scooter but an American tourist said they thought the killer was on a bike and that they had been warned by friends not to wear any expensive jewellery while walking in London.
Two American guests staying at the Park Royal Hotel told of their shock over the stabbing.
'We were out around the same time this happened and my father passed by and it happened right there', they said.
'The concierge said it was a stabbing. There was an argument and he (the attacker) was on a bike. '
The couple, who are heading back to the US today, added: 'All our friends that live here told us don't wear expensive watches. It's kind of sad being in London not being able to wear your expensive jewellery.
'They said this was the area to stay in too'.
Hotel guests have already started fleeing London early after waking up to the news.
One Kuwait national was due to spend the week in the luxury hotel but is heading home today over fears for his safety.
Police are hunting for the killer and have not made any arrests. The man's next-of-kin are aware and are being supported by specialist officers.
The public and then paramedics fought to save the victim.
A Japanese tourist who saw it said: 'A woman who looked like she was with the injured man was screaming 'oh my god' again and again. She was very very agitated. It was horrible for us to see. We can't get the incident out of our heads. We didn't sleep last night.'
A nearby shop worker said: 'There are phone snatchers and robberies in this area every day but we haven't had something as big as this in ages. It's a murder - it's scary.
'It puts tourists off. They don't feel safe anymore. It's bad for business, it's bad for everyone. The whole area depends on them.'
Saud Abdullah , 55, told MailOnline: 'I live in the hotel. I was walking towards Boots. At about 9pm there was nothing. I got there, it was closed. I came back and he was there. It happened so fast.
'They were trying to revive him but I was told today he died. There was so much police. There was a lot of paramedics and police cars and people were just freaking out.
'I saw them trying to revive his chest while he was on the floor. There was a lot of blood.
'I haven't been to London in a while but I'm really scared to be honest.'
Police swarmed the exclusive area at just before 9.30pm on Wednesday night
One witness described the scene as 'bloody' and it remains sealed off and under police guard today. There have been no arrests.
It is not known if the victim had been in the casino but emergency services were seen going in and out of the building last night.
Superintendent Owen Renowden, who leads policing in Kensington and Chelsea, said: 'Our thoughts are with the victim's loved ones following the shocking events that took place last night.
'Detectives from the Specialist Crime Command, supported by local officers, are working at pace to establish the circumstances of what happened.
'We are aware of reports that this incident was a robbery. Although this is an active line of enquiry, we are keeping an open mind about all possible motives and the exact circumstances are still to be determined.
'We understand the impact this incident will have on the local community and you will see extra officers in the area to help answer any questions or concerns. '
Shocked commuters could be seen leaving the Knightsbridge Tube station exit outside Harvey Nichols and walking around the cordoned off murder scene.
The main entrance to the upmarket designer store has been blocked off by a large cordon spanning across to Salt Bae's iconic Nusr-et steak restaurant.
Police officers can be seen standing guard outside the Park Tower Casino as morning commuters on foot and in cars go past.
One nearby worker told MailOnline he had left his shift shortly before the stabbing.
He said: 'What an area for this to happen. Who would be carrying a knife around here?
'We see stolen phones but a murder? I can't believe it. There's cameras everywhere here.'
Formula One star Lando Norris was spotted getting into the back of a car outside The Mandarin Oriental hotel just opposite the murder scene this morning.
The McLaren driver - who won the British GP at Silverstone on Sunday - got into the back of a black Range Rover and was driven down the exclusive Knightsbridge road past the scene.
The crime scene, which surrounds the hotel and casino in central London today
Police have cordoned off the pavement outside Harvey Nichols
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 9:23pm yesterday to reports of a stabbing in Seville Street, Knightsbridge.
'We sent resources to the scene, including paramedics in fast response cars and an incident response officer. We also dispatched a trauma team from London's Air Ambulance, which consisted of a paramedic and a doctor in a car.
'The first paramedic arrived in less than four minutes.
'Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a man died at the scene.'
Yesterday Sir Sadiq Khan announced a policing blitz on London's 20 most troubled town centres, specifically for shoplifting, robbery, knife crime and anti-social behaviour.
His Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, said: 'The safety of our town centres is more than just policing – it's about building stronger, more connected communities where everyone feels secure.
'Across our city there will be partnership led operations to tackle shoplifting and clear, visible neighbourhood officers out on patrol, keeping our communities safe and working to build safer town centres and a safer London for everyone'.
Call police on 101 referencing CAD 8521/09JUL if you were a witness or have any information which might help. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
a minute ago
- Daily Mail
Moment gunmen flee London millionaire's enclave after assassinating Kurdish working men's club owner in 'gang-related shooting'
New video shows the moments after a father of three was gunned down on the street in a 'gang-related murder' in a wealthy north London neighbourhood - as new information emerged about his criminal past. Erdal Ozmen, a 45-year-old Kurdish social club owner, was shot dead on Dynevor Road in the millionaires' enclave of Stoke Newington, north London, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. CCTV obtained by the Daily Mail shows the suspected gunmen calmly fleeing the scene in a black Kia sport's car seconds after the shooting. The car is seen turning right out of Dynevor Road onto Stoke Newington High Street before stopping at the traffic lights. Moments later, the car speeds off. A friend of Mr Ozlem told the Mail: 'They were waiting outside. They were in a black Kia 2024. Someone shot him in the back then came back and kicked him and shot him another two times. 'There was one person and another waiting in the car. When they left, they waited 25 seconds at the traffic lights, that's how confident. They didn't hide their face, no masks, nothing.' Mr Ozmen was part of a group of men who were jailed in 2006 for trying to shoot dead a Turkish man outside a petrol station in Tottenham three years earlier, the friend confirmed. He and another man, Ibrahim Aslan, opened fire on the man but only wounded his right arm. Police were called at 0.18am on Tuesday and Mr Ozmen was pronounced dead at the scene, with a murder investigation then launched. No arrests have been made at this stage. Detectives believe the murder - which was the sixth fatal shooting in London so far this year - was an 'isolated incident' with 'no wider risk to the general public'. Residents claimed it was 'gang related', and police acknowledged it would 'concern within the Stoke Newington community' but have not given any indication of a motive. Witness Liza Dodds, 58, a youth worker who lives in the area, said: 'My husband woke up and said there was gunshots. The instant reaction was "how do you know?" 'We both got up and had a look. A police officer was doing CPR where the person fell. It seemed like they were going forever.' Mr Ozmen has three brothers, who are set to join other members of his family to celebrate his life at a social club in Tottenham. Neighbours recalled seeing Mr Ozmen regularly hanging around the street he was gunned down on and going in and out of a 'sketchy' basement opposite where he was shot dead. Residents claimed the shooting was 'gang related', and police acknowledged it would 'concern within the Stoke Newington community' but have not given any indication of a motive Mr Ozmen's friend Ali Rizi Ojur told ITV that he was a 'very good guy, always helping people' Sandy Fabiszewska, 28, who has lived in a flat above the shooting scene for three years, said: 'I was in my bed and then I heard gunshots, it was like four gunshots. It was really loud. 'I was too scared to look out the window. When I finally came out my flatmate said don't look, don't look. 'There was just a dead man there. They tried to resuscitate him for quite a long time.' She added: 'My flatmate was outside and heard a car fleeing and someone saying 'Go, go, go'. There was definitely a car and that's why the Lime bike fell over. 'It was a car and 100 per cent more than one person. I heard screaming and a few people around. 'I think a few people came out of the basement wondering what happened.' Ms Fabiszewska said the victim would often go in and out of the basement below their flat where there was 'suspicious' activity and that it had been raided by police in the past. She explained: The flat below us is always suspicious to be honest. You can smell weed, I think they were dealing drugs. 'Then they got raided quite a while ago. I don't know what happened then. But the door was always open a few days before the shooting. People were in and out and I don't know what happened there. 'I definitely saw the victim walking around here before. He would just be going in and out of the suspicious basement below us with quite a lot of people, like five or six people.' Another local, who asked to remain anonymous, added: 'We were out when it happened so we didn't hear or see anything. 'But when we came back at around 1am, the whole area was cordoned off and the police officers told us that it will be a crime scene for a couple of days.' Mr Ozmen's friend Ali Rizi Ojur told ITV News: 'I've known him maybe more than 20 years. He is a very good guy, always helping people, he has two kids and family.' Four forensic officers in scrubs and masks were at the scene yesterday afternoon, alongside several police officers. A Lime bike was lying flat in the cordoned area. The forensic officers used torches to investigate underneath the nine cars parked on the street. Scotland Yard said the man's next of kin have been told and a post-mortem examination will take place. Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who leads policing for the area, said: 'Our team of detectives and forensic specialists are working at pace to establish the full circumstances that led to the tragic death of this man. 'We understand this incident will cause concern within the Stoke Newington community, however we do believe this to be an isolated incident at this stage of the investigation with no wider risk to the general public. 'Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area, along with a crime scene, as we carry out our enquiries. We thank them for their patience and co-operation at this time. 'We urge anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has any information that could assist us, to come forward as soon as possible.' A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We were called at 12.18am [on Tuesday] to reports of a shooting at the junction of Stoke Newington High Street and Dynevor Road, Hackney. 'We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic, a paramedic from our tactical response unit and an incident response officer. 'We also dispatched a trauma team from London's Air Ambulance, which consisted of a paramedic and a doctor in car. 'Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a man was pronounced dead at the scene.' Anyone who can help is asked to call police on 101, quoting CAD 108/5AUG. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Sky News
11 minutes ago
- Sky News
Diane's husband was killed by a reckless driver - the wait for justice was almost as painful
Diane Gall's husband, Martyn, had been out on a morning bike ride with his friends on their usual route one winter morning in November 2020 - when he was killed by a reckless driver. Diane and her daughters had to wait almost three years for her husband's case to be heard in court. The case was postponed three times, often without warning. "You just honestly lose faith in the system," she says. "You feel there's a system there that should be there to help and protect victims, to be victims' voices, but the constant delays really take their toll on individuals and us as a family." The first trial date in April 2022 was cancelled on the day and pushed four months later. The day before the new date, the family were told it wasn't going ahead due to the barristers' strike. It was moved to November 2022, then postponed again, before eventually being heard in June the following year. "You're building yourself up for all these dates, preparing yourself for what you're going to hear, reliving everything that has happened, and it's retraumatising," says Diane. 'Radical' reform needed Diane's wait for justice gives us an insight into what thousands of victims and their families are battling every day in a court system cracking under the weight of a record-high backlog. There are 76,957 cases waiting to be heard in Crown Courts across England and Wales, as of the end of March 2025. To relieve pressure on the system, an independent review by Sir Brian Leveson last month made a number of recommendations - including creating a new division of the Crown Court known as an intermediate court, made up of a judge and two magistrates, and allowing defendants to choose to be tried by judge alone. He said only "radical" reform would have an impact. 4:32 But according to exclusive data collected for Sky News by the Law Society, there is strong scepticism among the industry about some proposed plans. Before the review was published, we asked 545 criminal lawyers about the idea of a new tier to the Crown Court - 60% of them told us a type of Intermediate Court was unlikely to reduce the backlog. "It's moving a problem from one place to another, like moving the deck chairs on the Titanic. It's not going to do anything," says Stuart Nolan, chair of the Law Society's criminal law committee. "I think the problem with it is lack of resources or lack of will to give the proper resources. "You can say we need more staff, but they're not just any staff, they are people with experience and training, and that doesn't come quickly or cheap." Instead, the lawyers told us creating an additional court would harm the quality of justice. Chloe Jay, senior partner at Shentons Solicitors, agrees the quality of justice will be impacted by a new court division that could sit without a jury for some offences. She says: "The beauty of the Crown Court is that you have two separate bodies, one deciding the facts and one deciding law. "So the jury doesn't hear the legal arguments about what evidence should be excluded, whether something should be considered as part of the trial, and that's what really gives you that really good, sound quality of justice, because you haven't got one person making all the decisions together. "Potentially in an intermediate court, that is what will happen. The same three people will hear those legal arguments and make the finding of guilt or innocence." The most striking finding from the survey is that 73% of criminal lawyers surveyed are worried about offences no longer sitting in front of a jury. Casey Jenkins, president of London Criminal Court Solicitors' Association, says this could create unconscious bias. "There's a real risk that people from minority backgrounds are negatively impacted by having a trial by a judge and not a jury of their peers who may have the same or similar social background to them," she says. "A jury trial is protection against professional judicial decisions by the state. It's a fundamental right that can be invoked." Instead of moving some offences to a new Crown Court tier, our survey suggests criminal lawyers would be more in favour of moving cases to the magistrates instead. Under the Leveson proposals, trials for offences such as dangerous driving, possessing an offensive weapon and theft could be moved out of the Crown Courts. 'Catastrophic consequences' Richard Atkinson, president of the Law Society, says fixing the system will only work with fair funding. "It's as important as the NHS, it's as important as the education system," he says. "If it crumbles, there will be catastrophic consequences." Ms Jenkins agrees that for too long the system has been allowed to fail. "Everyone deserves justice, this is just not the answer," she says. "It's just the wrong solution to a problem that was caused by chronic, long-term under-investment in the criminal justice system, which is a vital public service. "The only way to ensure that there's timely and fair justice for everybody is to invest in all parts of the system from the bottom up: local services, probation, restorative justice, more funding for lawyers so we can give early advice, more funding for the police so that cases are better prepared." Government vows 'bold and ambitious reform' In response to Sky News' findings, the minister for courts and legal services, Sarah Sackman KC MP, told Sky News: "We inherited a record and rising court backlog, leaving many victims facing unacceptable delays to see justice done. "We've already boosted funding in our courts system, but the only way out of this crisis is bold and ambitious reform. That is why we are carefully considering Sir Brian's bold recommendations for long-term change. "I won't hesitate to do whatever needs to be done for the benefit of victims." The driver that killed Diane's husband was eventually convicted. She wants those making decisions about the court system to remember those impacted the most in every case. Every victim and every family.
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Wealthy student charged with killing four sorority sisters hires top lawyer
The young BMW driver accused of mowing down and killing four sorority sisters in a horrific Malibu car crash pleaded not guilty as he appeared in court with his new hot-shot defense attorney Wednesday. Fraser Bohm, 23, was arraigned on murder and vehicular manslaughter charges in connection with the October 2023 deaths of Pepperdine University students Asha Weir, Peyton Stewart, Deslyn Williams, all 21, and 20-year-old Niamh Rolston. Dressed in a dark gray suit and tie, he did not speak as his new lawyer, Alan Jackson, entered the not-guilty pleas to four counts each of charge on his behalf at a courthouse in Van Nuys, California. The hearing lasted only a few minutes, during which Judge Thomas Rubinson granted the defense's request for a postponement to September 5. Wednesday's arraignment follows a delay granted last month, when newly-hired Jackson, who represented recently-acquitted murder suspect Karen Read, requested a continuance. Outside the courtroom, Jackson explained that he plans to raise 'several issues' at the next hearing, including filing a motion to reduce Bohm's $4million bail package that was granted after his arrest in 2023. Asked when he expects Bohm's jury trial to start, the renowned lawyer told Daily Mail: 'The prosecution has a head start on us and we have a lot of work to do to catch up. So I can't see trial starting before the end of 2025.' The prominent criminal defense attorney, who replaces Bohm's original lawyer Michael Kraut, is a former LA County Assistant District Attorney who prosecuted several high-profile cases, including the murder conviction of music producer Phil Spector. Since going into private practice, he's made a name for himself as a top defense attorney. Most recently, he successfully got Karen Read acquitted of murder charges in the widely-covered trial related to the death of her Boston Police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe. All four of the young women killed in the Malibu crash were seniors at Pepperdine's Seaver College of Liberal Arts where they were members of the Alpha Phi Sorority. They were due to graduate with the class of 2024 and later were awarded their Pepperdine degrees posthumously. They died when Bohm – driving allegedly at 104mph – crashed into three parked vehicles in the parking lane next to where the girls were walking after getting out of a car on Pacific Coast Highway where the speed limit is 45mph. 'They were killed because of the driving of the defendant,' Deputy District Attorney Nathan Bartos told an April preliminary hearing where Bohm was ordered to stand trial. Bartos pointed out that data retrieved from the 'black box' in the BMW showed that the vehicle accelerated from 93mph to 104mph just two and a half seconds before the crash. 'He consciously decided to get that vehicle up to the speed of 104 miles an hour,' the prosecutor added. 'And he lost control of his vehicle….. This was not an accident.' Bohm – who lives in Malibu – has maintained that the deadly crash was an accident that happened when 'some guy' in a white car swerved into his lane, hitting his driver's side mirror, causing him to slam into the three parked cars. The deadly crash sparked outrage from Malibu residents who have for years been calling for safety improvements to this stretch of PCH between Carbon Canyon and Las Flores Canyon where 53 deaths and 92 serious injuries between 2013 and 2023 earned it the nickname 'Dead Man's Curve.' On the one-year anniversary of the girls' deaths, Malibu officials met to discuss ways to improve safety and creating a California Highway Patrol Task Force to crack down on speeders and traffic offenders on the famous coastal highway. And recently, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new bill authorizing the installation of speed cameras on the 21-mile strip all the way through the ritzy, celebrity-filled enclave.
