Two teenagers plead guilty to murdering schoolboy in machete bus attack
Two teenagers have pleaded guilty to murdering a schoolboy with machetes on a London bus.
Aspiring rapper Keylan Bokassa was stabbed around 27 times with two "lengthy machetes", the Old Bailey heard.
The 14-year-old was on the top deck of the 472 bus in Woolwich, southeast London, at around 2.30pm on 7 January when the two defendants, both aged 16, approached him with weapons.
Prosecuting, Tom Little KC said it was "clear" the attack was "not a form of spontaneous incident" and the defendants "must have known the deceased was on the bus".
"They approach him and almost instantaneously, the two of them pull out machetes and attacked the deceased," he told the plea hearing on Friday.
"He is stabbed or attempted to be stabbed on a total of 27 occasions before the defendants made their way off the bus."
Emergency services rushed to the scene in Woolwich Church Street but Mr Bokassa had suffered a severed femoral artery and died shortly after medics arrived.
Read more from Sky News
In an unusual move, given they were both minors, the Metropolitan Police named the two suspects in a public appeal to trace them.
The victim's relatives gasped and became tearful as they were brought to the dock on Friday.
One of the defendants appeared to change his plea to guilty at the last minute, with his barrister leaving court briefly before returning with confirmation he admitted the charge.
Both teenagers also pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon.
Groomed from age six
Speaking to the media after his death, the victim's mother Mary Bokassa revealed he had been groomed by gangs from the age of six.
Although he had returned to school and the pair had spent Christmas together in the weeks before his death, she was concerned he still had "one foot in the streets" and was "not surprised" when she found out he had been killed.
One of the machetes used in the attack was thrown in the River Thames but later resurfaced by police.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC ordered reports ahead of sentencing the pair on 25 July and said he would consider a media appeal to name them.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trial date set for Venezuelan woman for crash that killed 11-year-old
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A woman in the country illegally had her day in court after months of demands from a St. Louis County judge. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith called it a race against the clock. 'Several times we thought she was coming back, and we heard there was actually a deportation date where she was going to be sent to Venezuela,' she said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The prosecuting attorney said Endrina Bracho was brought back to St. Louis County last week. 'Due to the fact that Ms. Bracho was in this country illegally, there was an ICE hold. After being released on bond over the objection of the state, she was taken into ICE custody,' Price Smith said. Bracho is facing a long list of felony charges after a car crash on Dunn Road just five days before Christmas in 2023. 'None of this would have happened but for her driving in the wrong lane going at almost twice the speed limit, and that is what we intend to hold her accountable for, because Travis (Wolfe) died because of this, the day before his 12th birthday and it is an extremely sad case,' Jason Glaser, assistant prosecuting attorney, said. Glaser said he spoke with Travis Wolfe's father last week after Bracho appeared in court. 'He's very happy and hopeful that he'll see justice come for his son,' Glaser said. Glaser said Bracho's trial is set for August 11. She is currently being held on a $150,000 cash only bond. 'Regardless of what her immigration status is, she needs to be held accountable,' Price Smith said. 'That family needs to see justice happen.' FOX 2 News reached out to Bracho's attorney and we are waiting to hear back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Body found by police confirmed to be missing Colombian woman
Police have confirmed that a body found over the weekend is that of a Colombian woman who disappeared after leaving her east London home. Yajaira Castro Mendez, 46, was reported missing to the Metropolitan Police on May 31, having left her home in Ilford on the morning of May 29. An investigation was launched and 51-year-old Juan Francisco Toledo, of Lambeth, south London, was arrested on June 4 and subsequently charged with murder. Police conducted a search for Ms Castro Mendez and found a body in the Bolderwood area of Hampshire on Saturday, which has now been formally identified as her. Acting Detective Chief Inspector Sean Beasley said: 'This is a very sad development in the investigation and our thoughts are very much with Yajaira's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. 'Officers have been working around the clock and continue to investigate the circumstances. 'There are still crime scenes in place and we're working closely with Hampshire Police. We thank the community for their patience as we carry out our investigation and we continue to appeal to anyone with information that could assist the investigation to please come forward.' Francisco Toledo, who police have said was known to the victim, was remanded in custody after appearing at Barkingside Magistrates' Court on June 6 to attend the Old Bailey on Tuesday. Ms Castro Mendez's disappearance was initially treated as a missing person investigation led by local officers but the investigation was transferred to the Met's Specialist Crime Command on June 5, after a range of extensive further inquiries suggested she had come to harm. People are urged to contact police via 101 or @MetCC quoting CAD 3020/06JUN2, or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or the charity's website.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bus driver who killed young girl riding bike on pavement jailed for four years
A bus driver who killed a nine-year-old girl riding her bike on the pavement having fallen asleep at the wheel with drugs in his system has been jailed for four years, the Metropolitan Police said. Ada Bicakci died in hospital on August 5 last year, two days after the collision in Bexleyheath, south-east London, which left her with 'catastrophic injuries'. Martin Asolo-Ogugua, 23, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday having pleaded guilty in April to causing Ada's death by dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drugs. The defendant, of Southwark, south-east London, failed a drug-test at the scene of the incident and was found to have taken cannabis the night before. CCTV showed Asolo-Ogugua driving the bus west on London Road, with Ada on a footpath heading east on Watling Street before the defendant fell asleep and the bus drifted across the carriageway and into the path of the girl and her family, according to police. Ada's father, Bora, said: 'The images of that horrific moment remain seared into my mind. That scene replays endlessly, a constant reminder of the day my world fractured beyond repair. 'This tragedy happened on my watch, a father's ultimate failure. My world has been turned upside down, and with it, the foundations of my family have crumbled. 'My darling Ada. Our thanks are not enough to show our gratitude for you. We will honour your name with acts of magnitude. You will never be forgotten. 'We will make this story one of love and thanks that we owe everybody. Your presence, and passing, will leave a mark in this country and we will fight to make drug driving a part of its history.' Senior Crown Prosecutor Miranda Jollie called Asolo-Ogugua 'utterly selfish'. She said: 'Asolo-Ogugua was reckless and utterly selfish to get behind the wheel of a bus after consuming drugs and put many lives at risk that day. 'His actions have robbed a young girl of her entire life. Our thoughts remain with Ada's family and friends as they try to come to terms with their unimaginable loss.' Ada, a Turkish-British national, lived in Bexleyheath with her family and was a keen gymnast and swimmer. She attended a local primary school where she was described by police as a 'popular and happy pupil'. Her organs were donated and she went on to help six other people after her death, her family said previously. Detective Sergeant Sam Miles said: 'Asolo-Ogugua will have to spend the rest of his life regretting the night he chose to stay awake before getting behind the wheel of a bus with cannabis in his system. 'It's a night that has cost him his freedom and snatched away the life of an innocent little girl. 'Ada had her whole life ahead of her.' Asolo-Ogugua was disqualified from driving for seven years.
