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Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Two boys admit murdering 14-year-old schoolboy in brutal machete attack on London bus in front of horrified passengers
Two youths have admitted murdering a 14-year-old boy in a machete attack on a London bus while he was travelling home from school. Aspiring rapper Kelyan Bokassa was stabbed 27 times as he travelled on a route 472 bus in Woolwich, South East London, on the afternoon of January 7. Emergency services were called to the scene at about 2.30pm, but Kelyan died shortly after medics arrived having suffered a severed femoral artery. In an unusual move, Scotland Yard had issued CCTV images and named two boys as part of a public appeal for information. They were arrested on January 15 after a manhunt by Metropolitan Police officers, and charged the next day. The defendants, both aged 16, appeared at the Old Bailey today for a plea hearing. The pair pleaded guilty to Kelyan's murder and having a knife on Woolwich Church Street. Relatives of Kelyan gasped and appeared tearful as they sat metres away from the dock where the two boys sat flanked by officers. Reporting of the case was briefly delayed after one of the boys' barristers had called for time to speak to his client in light of what had appeared to be an unexpected plea. Later, the youth returned to court and confirmed his guilty plea. Judge Mark Lucraft KC ordered reports ahead of sentencing on July 25. At an earlier hearing, prosecutor Tom Little KC said the victim was sitting on the back seat of the bus on the upper deck when he was attacked by two youths both armed with 'lengthy machetes'. The defendants knew in advance of the presence of Kelyan when they boarded the bus and walked directly towards him, the court was told. Mr Little said: 'It is clear this is not a form of spontaneous incident. The two 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 is stabbed or attempted to be stabbed on a total of 27 occasions before the defendants made their way off the bus.' One of the machetes was discarded in the River Thames but was later recovered. Both defendants remained at large for a few days before being arrested. Both had previous convictions, including for having a knife in a public place. One of them had a referral order in place at the time of the murder. The defendants cannot be named because of their ages. However, Judge Lucraft indicated he would hear a media application to lift the reporting restriction at their sentencing hearing. Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lee from the specialist crime unit, who led the Metropolitan Police's investigation, said this afternoon: 'Today I wish to express my team's heartfelt sympathies to Kelyan's family. 'The brutal and senseless attack on Kelyan's has deeply impacted his friends, the wider community and everyone that has worked tirelessly to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible. 'I hope Kelyan's family can take some solace in this outcome but I know they remain deeply bereft at the waste of three young lives.' An inquest in January heard members of the public tried to help Kelyan after he was stabbed. Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lee told that hearing that police were called at around 2.28pm on January 7 by a bus driver reporting a stabbing on the bus. She said police understand that Kelyan boarded the bus at 2.06pm at North Greenwich train station and then two male suspects boarded the vehicle at 2.26pm. DCI Lee continued: 'They went up to the top deck where Kelyan was sitting and they immediately attacked him. 'Members of the public who were boarded on the bus called for help and asked the driver to stop, which he did, on Woolwich Church Street, and the suspects fled the bus. 'A number of passengers tried to help Kelyan. He came down the stairs and they placed him on a seat on the lower deck.' She said the bus driver called for aid, and police and London Ambulance Service attended, but Kelyan could not be saved and he died at the scene. At a vigil held in January at a church overlooking the bus stop where he was stabbed, one of Kelyan's friends said the boy had a 'pure heart' and would 'always be there for you'.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- The Independent
Youths admit machete murder of 14-year-old boy on bus
Two youths have admitted murdering a 14-year-old schoolboy in a machete attack on a London bus. Kelyan Bokassa was stabbed around 27 times as he travelled home on a route 472 bus in Woolwich, south-east London, on Tuesday January 7. Emergency services were called to Woolwich Church Street, near Woolwich Ferry, just before 2.30pm. Kelyan, an aspiring rapper, had sustained a severed femoral artery and died shortly after medics arrived at the scene. In an unusual move, Scotland Yard had issued CCTV images and named two boys as part of a public appeal for information. Two boys, both aged 16, were charged with murder and appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday for a plea hearing. The pair pleaded guilty to Kelyan's murder and having a knife on Woolwich Church Street. Relatives of Kelyan gasped and appeared tearful as they sat metres away from the dock where the two boys sat flanked by officers. Reporting of the case was briefly delayed after one of the boys' barristers had called for time to speak to his client in light of what had appeared to be an unexpected plea. Later, the youth returned to court and confirmed his guilty plea. Judge Mark Lucraft KC ordered reports ahead of sentencing on July 25. At an earlier hearing, prosecutor Tom Little KC said the victim was sitting on the back seat of the bus on the upper deck when he was attacked by two youths both armed with 'lengthy machetes'. The defendants knew in advance of the presence of Kelyan when they boarded the bus and walked directly towards him, the court was told. Mr Little said: 'It is clear this is not a form of spontaneous incident. The two 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 is stabbed or attempted to be stabbed on a total of 27 occasions before the defendants made their way off the bus.' One of the machetes was discarded in the River Thames but was later recovered. Both defendants remained at large for a few days before being arrested. Both had previous convictions, including for having a knife in a public place. One of them had a referral order in place at the time of the murder. The defendants cannot be named because of their ages. However, Judge Lucraft indicated he would hear a media application to lift the reporting restriction at their sentencing hearing.
Daily Record
23-05-2025
- Daily Record
Two teens admit fatal machete bus attack on 14-year-old schoolboy
The shocking attack on 14-year-old Kelyan Bokassa on the top deck of a bus was caught on CCTV. Two 16-year-old boys have pleaded guilty to the murder of 14-year-old Kelyan Bokassa, who was stabbed 27 times with machetes while riding a bus. Kelyan, an aspiring rapper, was attacked on the upper deck of a bus on January 7 while returning home in Woolwich, southeast London. Despite the efforts of emergency services, he died at the scene from a severed femoral artery. The two teenagers, who cannot be named due to their age, admitted to the murder during a hearing at the Old Bailey. They also pleaded guilty to possessing a knife on Woolwich Church Street. The courtroom was marked by emotional scenes as Kelyan's family, seated just metres from the dock, reacted tearfully to the pleas. Initially, proceedings were paused when one defence barrister requested time to consult with his client following what appeared to be an unexpected plea. The youth later confirmed his guilty plea upon returning to court, reports the Mirror. During an earlier hearing, prosecutor Tom Little KC stated that the attack was premeditated. The assailants, armed with large machetes, boarded the bus knowing Kelyan would be there, approached him directly, and launched a frenzied attack. One of the weapons was later recovered from the River Thames. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Both defendants had previous convictions, including for carrying knives in public. One was under a referral order at the time of the killing. They remained at large for several days before being arrested. Scotland Yard took the unusual step of releasing CCTV images and the names of suspects early in the investigation. Judge Lucraft has indicated that he will consider a media request to lift reporting restrictions on the defendants' identities at the time of sentencing. Kelyan's death marked the first teenage knife fatality in London in 2025.
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Telegraph
Two boys murdered drill rapper, 14, with machetes on bus
Two boys murdered an aspiring 14-year-old drill rapper in a machete attack on a London bus. Kelyan Bokassa was stabbed nearly 30 times as he travelled home on a route 472 bus in Woolwich, south-east London, on Tuesday January 7. Emergency services were called to Woolwich Church Street, near Woolwich Ferry, just before 2.30pm. Kelyan, an aspiring drill rapper, had sustained a severed femoral artery and died shortly after medics arrived at the scene. In an unusual move, Scotland Yard had issued CCTV images and named two boys as part of a public appeal for information. Two boys, both aged 16, were charged with murder and appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday for a plea hearing. The pair pleaded guilty to Kelyan's murder and having a knife on Woolwich Church Street. Relatives of Kelyan gasped and appeared tearful as they sat metres away from the dock where the two boys sat flanked by officers. Reporting of the case was briefly delayed after one of the boys' barristers had called for time to speak to his client in light of what had appeared to be an unexpected plea. Later, the youth returned to court and confirmed his guilty plea. Judge Mark Lucraft KC ordered reports ahead of sentencing on July 25. At an earlier hearing, prosecutor Tom Little KC said the victim was sitting on the back seat of the bus on the upper deck when he was attacked by two youths both armed with 'lengthy machetes'. The defendants knew in advance of the presence of Kelyan when they boarded the bus and walked directly towards him, the court was told. Mr Little said: 'It is clear this is not a form of spontaneous incident. The two 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 is stabbed or attempted to be stabbed on a total of 27 occasions before the defendants made their way off the bus.' One of the machetes was discarded in the River Thames but was later recovered. The defendants cannot be named because of their ages. However, Judge Lucraft indicated he would hear a media application to lift the reporting restriction at their sentencing hearing. Kelyan's mother Mary Bokassa earlier claimed that her son had been groomed by gangs before the killing. 'My son and others were taken advantage [of] by gangs. They were groomed,' she told MailOnline. 'He was missing for a year and was living on the street. He finally turned up at my doorstep, he was sick, underweight and tattooed... He was exposed to drugs. He probably experienced something because I could sense it. 'He was not himself. If I questioned him he wouldn't tell me anything about his friends.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Two teens admit machete murder of boy, 14, on bus
Two teenagers have pleaded guilty to the murder of a 14-year-old boy who was attacked with machetes on a bus in south-east London. Kelyan Bokassa was stabbed 27 times as he travelled home on a route 472 bus in Woolwich on 7 January. The two boys, both aged 16, who cannot be named because of their age, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, where they also admitted to carrying a bladed weapon. Sentencing will take place on Friday 25 July. Kelyan's mother was heard crying in court as the pleas were entered. Emergency services were called to Woolwich Church Street, near Woolwich Ferry, just before 14.30 GMT, but Kelyan had sustained a severed femoral artery and died shortly after medics arrived. Scotland Yard later issued CCTV images of two boys as part of a public appeal for information. A court previously heard that Kelyan had been sitting at the back seat of the bus when two people both armed with "lengthy machetes" attacked him. The schoolboy was the first teenager to be killed by knife crime in the capital in 2025. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to 'I've lost my son and I still can't believe it' Teen attacked with machetes on bus home, court told HM Courts and Tribunals Service
