Knife-obsessed schoolboy, 16, who stabbed 15-year-old love rival and left him to die in the street as public 'walked on by' is jailed for seven years

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

A knife-obsessed schoolboy who stabbed his 15-year-old love rival in the heart and left him to die on the pavement has been jailed for seven years.
Pharrell Garcia was attacked with his own pocket knife in a park near Stellman Close in Stoke Newington, north London, at around 4pm on July 23 last year.
The 16-year-old killer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed Pharrell was armed with the 'multi-tool' knife and he acted in self-defence.
He said: 'I had no intention to kill him or do serious harm - only to save my own life.'
The boy, from east London, had a previous conviction for possession of a machete.
He was cleared of murder and convicted of manslaughter.
The two teenagers had known each other since they were very young and the attack may have been motivated by jealousy as they were both messaging the same girl, the Old Bailey heard.
They had not met the girl in person but exchanged thousands of messages with her and on the day of the stabbing had told her they planned to fight.
Pharrell had said he was going to 'smoke' the 16-year-old saying he was 'just a nerd', the court heard.
Following Pharell's death, the police information, which led them to make an arrest enquiry at the defendant's address. He was not home.
Detectives soon tracked him down to a family friend's house, where he stayed following the manslaughter, and he was arrested at 5:07am on Wednesday, July 24.
Officers analysed the defendant's mobile phone which showed communication of Snapchat between the pair in the days leading up to the manslaughter, as well as 43 videos and photos of the defendant playing with knives only a week before the killing on Tuesday, 16 and Wednesday, 17 July.
He had also messaged his mother following the attack saying he could not come home, to remove certain items from their home and asking to go to Portugal.
The 16-year-old was jailed today for seven years with an extended five year license period as the judge found him to be dangerous.
Judge Philip Katz, KC, said: 'Pharrell Garcia was a child of 15 when he was stabbed to the heart in broad daylight in a residential area in Hackney.
'He managed to run a short distance before collapsing and dying on the pavement.
'Pharrell's family and friends and all those who knew and cared for him are utterly devastated. That Pharrell died in public in such shocking circumstances is a terrible tragedy.
'That Pharrell was killed by another child of 15 is another tragedy.
'You were fascinated with guns and knives. Your use of social media was totally out of control.
'I am sure you took a knife to the fight even if you did not use it.
'When two individuals go out to fight each other neither can realistically claim to have acted in necessary self defence.'
The teenager is due to be sentenced for a separate offence of robbery and possession of a knife committed in 2023.
He denied murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter.
The jury could not reach a verdict on the murder count but convicted the 16-year-old of manslaughter.
The prosecution decided not to pursue a retrial on murder and the judge entered a not guilty verdict today.
A probation report said the teen 'glorifies violence and has enthusiasm for knives'.
Defence barrister Beth O'Reilly, KC, said the teenager's father was in prison as he grew up and his mother struggled with her mental health.
She said his behaviour with knives was immature but he never intended to use them for violence.'
The barrister added the teenager and his mother will move abroad after his prison sentence to be with extended family.
She said: 'In certain areas of London there are difficult problems, he needs to be able to have the tools to leave that environment and start afresh.
'He needs to start a new life, a new life where he is not exploited by older, more experienced criminals, and break the line of criminality.'
Prosecutor Mark Fenhalls, KC, earlier told jurors: 'You will immediately appreciate that the death of a child is a deeply traumatic event with devastating consequences for those involved.
'The needless death of teenage boys on our streets because of knife crime troubles us all.
'Knife crime in London is all too prevalent, you will know about reports you have heard, read or seen on television.
'It's a tragedy and we wish it did not exist. But it does.
In this case the defendant admits stabbing Pharrell Garcia. He says he did so in self-defence. The prosecution rejects this as a self-serving lie.
'The defendant used a knife that Pharrell had been carrying. It was a pocket knife.
'In circumstances only the defendant knows he came into possession of the knife and stabbed him in the heart.'
The prosecutor added Pharrell and the defendant had been messaging the same girl before the incident.
'You may end up concluding that jealously had something to do with what the defendant did that afternoon,' he said.
He added there had been an argument in the days before the stabbing.
Jurors were shown CCTV of Pharrell and the defendant arriving at the park together.
Footage also showed members of the public walking past Pharrell after he had been stabbed.
Mr Fenhalls said: 'There are always good Samaritans but there are sadly other people who would walk on by.
'Whatever you think of those who walk on by it doesn't matter.
'You will see sometimes the best of people sometimes the worst.
'Some members of the of public did seek to assist, medics attended and they did everything they could.'
The girl the two boys were messaging told police she had heard Pharrell threatening to beat the defendant up.
She said the defendant called her and said 'I'm fighting Pharell today.'
In a prepared statement given to police the defendant said: 'I knew the victim from school and we used to be friends but fell out and he had always harboured a grudge towards me.
'He was obsessed with gangs and knives and I have video footage on my phone of him threatening 'to shank me'.
'He approached me on Tuesday and told me, again, he had a problem with me.
'He pulled a knife out of his sock and went to attack me. I was scared for my life and acted instinctively to defend myself.'
Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Kelly Allen from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, who led the investigation, said: 'Our thoughts very much remain with Pharell's family and friends, who had to re-live the last traumatic moments of his young life during the trial after the defendant failed to take responsibility for his actions.
'Somehow the defendant came to be in possession of a multi-tool, which he claimed in court was carried to the scene by the victim.
'The evidence we gathered disputed the defendant's account that he grabbed the multi-tool and delivered a fatal blow to save his life.
'When the defendant became in possession of that weapon he had a choice. He could have walked away, he could've thrown the multi-tool to the floor.
'Instead, he chose to stab Pharell in the heart and then chased him, still armed with the knife, until he saw the victim collapse from his fatal injuries. Instead of rushing over to help his former friend, he fled the scene and tried to dispose of the evidence.'
Detective Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who leads policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, added: 'Pharell's death was first and foremost a devastating tragedy for his family and friends, but it also had considerable impact across our local communities.
'While overall violence has been reducing in Hackney, tragic events such as this serve as a reminder that too many of our children and young people have to contend with the callous reality of knife crime.
'We continue to work night and day, with the council, local charities and wider partners to address both the root causes of knife crime and to deter people from carrying knives through police action.
'If any young person feels they need to carry a knife please speak to a parent, carer, teacher, youth leader or adult you trust and we can get you the support to step back from that decision safely.'