Latest news with #MarieBokassa
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Teens who smiled as as they stabbed schoolboy to death are jailed for life
Two 16-year-old youths have been jailed for life for the fatal stabbing of 14-year-old Kelyan Bokassa on a bus in Woolwich, south-east London. The aspiring rapper was attacked with machetes on a route 472 bus on 7 January, with the assailants smiling during the 14-second assault. Kelyan, who had a knife in his waistband but could not reach it, was heard calling for his mother before he died at the scene. The two defendants pleaded guilty to murder and possession of a knife, receiving a minimum term of 15 years and 10 months. Kelyan's mother, Marie Bokassa, delivered an emotional victim impact statement, while the court heard the attackers had previous convictions for carrying blades.
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Malay Mail
London teens get life for brutal gang-linked killing of 14-year-old on bus
LONDON, July 26 — A British judge yesterday sentenced two teenagers to life in prison, with a minimum term of 15 years, for stabbing to death a 14-year-old boy on a London bus earlier this year. The attack in January reignited debates around gang violence and the ongoing problem of knife crime that has plagued the British capital and other UK cities for years. On January 7, Kelyan Bokassa was stabbed 27 times with machetes on the bus in Woolwich in southeast London. He later died from his injuries, after the arrival of emergency services. The attackers, aged 16 and 15 at the time, were arrested later that month. They pleaded guilty to the murder in May. A judge at London's Old Bailey court sentenced the pair to life in prison, ordering they be considered for parole after 15 years and 110 days in detention. One boy was as a 'victim of child criminal exploitation,' said judge Mark Lucraft, adding that he had faced 'a history of trauma'. The second boy was also exploited by gangs from the age of 12 and experienced 'undiagnosed developmental needs,' the judge said. 'It is sadly an all too frequent senseless loss of yet another young life to the horrors of knife crime' which 'no sentence of a court can ever truly reflect,' Lucraft said. Kelyan's mother Marie Bokassa addressed the court, asking 'how can children behave like this?' 'What have the children been exposed to, to show such behaviour as this?' she added. Shortly after the murder, the victim's mother had told the press that her son was also exploited by gangs in the Woolwich area of southeast London. Last year, 10 teenagers were fatally stabbed in London, after 18 in 2023, according to the Met Police. In September 2024, a 15-year-old boy, reportedly a close friend of Kelyan, was also stabbed to death in Woolwich, in what a prosecutor described as a gang retaliation linked to a turf war. — AFP
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Mother of murdered schoolboy fears she may ‘never recover' from son's loss
The mother of a teenager who was stabbed to death on a bus emotionally told a court she may 'never recover' from the loss of her son. Aspiring rapper Kelyan Bokassa called, 'I want my mum' after he was mortally wounded in front of horrified passengers aboard a route 472 bus in Woolwich, south-east London, on 7 January. He was stabbed around 27 times in the attack that lasted around 14 seconds. Two youths, aged 16, appeared at the Old Bailey to be sentenced on Friday after they pleaded guilty to Kelyan's murder and having a knife. In a moving victim impact statement, Kelyan's mother Marie Bokassa said: 'I stand here not just as a mother but as a broken soul whose life changed forever the day my child's life was taken from me by another child.' Speaking through tears and wearing black, she added: 'At least my son is at peace, and those two kids are going to have a really tough time. 'I ask myself what has happened to those two boys that has resulted in that terrible act of violence and I cannot imagine how can they be so angry. 'What they did was horrific and I do not know what has led them to do this and maybe I will never.' 'That moment of violence may have lasted seconds but its consequences are eternal,' Ms Bokassa said. She told the court her son had loved food, cooking and football and brought her flowers on her birthday. 'He would put music on and we'd dance together in the living room,' she said. 'He loved Mr Bean, which we watched together, and he would laugh. I miss his laugh, miss his voice. 'I will never see his children or be a grandmother and he will never have his own family.' Ms Bokassa added that she had spent her son's 15th birthday at his graveside and that she missed everything about him. She said that some people in her neighbourhood cannot look at her and she is petrified to take public transport, particularly the 472 bus. 'I feel judged,' Ms Bokassa added. 'Maybe I will never recover, all I know is I will live and I will have to be strong for my son and I will have to constantly find a coping mechanism,' she continued. 'He would want me to try and solve youth crime and not give up on my life. 'My son loved me and would want me to go on with my life. 'These two young boys took my son's life without hesitation, they will now have to face the consequences of their actions here today. 'My only hope is they get the help they need before they ever get released into society.' In a statement, Kelyan's father, Hashim Mohamed, said his son's death had prompted him and his wife to consider 'youth violence' and to 'think politically' about knife crime. 'I never expected Kelyan's life to end tragically, to the contrary I believed he would one day thrive as an elite athlete or even as a creative,' he wrote in a statement read out on his behalf by prosecutor Deanna Heer KC. The hearing was attended by around 20 members of the public, who filled the public gallery, all of whom wore black while some hid their faces and sobbed loudly as CCTV footage of the attack was shown to the court. Kelyan's mother left the hearing briefly while the video of her son's murder was played.
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Knife crime is not just statistics, it's caskets – mother of murdered boy, 14
The mother of a 14-year-old schoolboy murdered by two teenagers on a bus has said 'knife crime is not just statistics' but 'caskets' and 'flowers', as her son's killers were jailed. Aspiring rapper Kelyan Bokassa was stabbed around 27 times in the attack on January 7 as he travelled on a route 472 bus in Woolwich, south-east London. Two youths, aged 16, were both jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years and 10 months at the Old Bailey on Friday after they pleaded guilty to Kelyan's murder and having a knife. In a statement read on her behalf outside the court, Kelyan's mother Marie Bokassa appealed to the Government for action on knife crime and youth violence, adding that authorities had 'lost control of London'. She said: 'To the Government and authorities, how many mothers like me will it take? 'How many children must be buried before you act with urgency? 'Where are you? Where were you? 'I had no support from you when my son was alive and no support now that he is dead, a letter of condolence doesn't mean anything to us. 'Our streets are bleeding, our cemeteries are full, our prisons are overflowing. ' Pain and loss is becoming normalised. 'Our streets are no longer safe for our children. Public transport is no longer safe. Schools are no longer safe. 'You have lost control of London. 'We need stronger laws, real cultural education, real boots to the ground.' She added: 'Knife crime is not just statistics to us. 'It's caskets, it's flowers, it's funerals. 'Our children are being buried before their parents. 'I want change. I demand change. 'Let this not be another forgotten story. 'Let my child's name be a turning point, a call to action to save other mothers from standing where I stand today. 'His name was Kelyan. 'My child deserved to live, deserved to feel safe walking on the streets of London. 'How many young people have been killed or injured since Kelyan? 'Let's not wait for another one to die before we act.' Of her son's killers, Ms Bokassa said: 'They didn't just take a life, they shattered an entire world. 'They broke a family, they buried a future, and they left me, a mother, dead inside with wounds no justice could ever heal. 'To the young people who carry knives, I beg you to stop before you raise a blade. 'Think of your own mother. Think of the mothers who will cry every night like I do, who will scream into her pillow, who will walk past her child's empty room and collapse with grief. 'Don't let a moment of anger still your future. 'Don't let the streets raise you in a way your mother never would. 'There is no power in death. There is only loss.' Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lee, whose team at the Metropolitan Police led the investigation, said after the sentencing that the case was a 'callous murder' and a 'ferocious attack' on a bus in 'broad daylight'. Speaking outside court, she said: 'Whilst I'm grateful that Marie has been spared the emotional turmoil of trial, I know that she desperately struggles to understand why. 'Why her son was murdered, why two children will today begin life sentences, why three lives were considered so disposable. 'The harsh reality in London is that violence affects some children more than others, particularly young black men and boys, and those experiencing worsening social and economic inequalities.' She added that it was 'vital murders such as Kelyan's are at the forefront of the minds of every politician, every policymaker, every police officer, everybody that works better for children growing up in London' in order to tackle knife crime.
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Mother of machete attack victim says ‘streets are bleeding' after killers jailed
The mother of a 14-year-old boy killed in a machete attack on a bus declared 'our streets are bleeding' as his smiling killers were locked up for life. Aspiring rapper Kelyan Bokassa said 'I want my mum' after he was mortally wounded in front of horrified passengers aboard the 472 bus in Woolwich, south-east London, on January 7. Two youths, aged 16, pleaded guilty to Kelyan's murder and having a knife. In a televised sentencing on Friday, Judge Mark Lucraft KC detained them for life and set minimum terms of 15 years and 10 months. Judge Lucraft said Kenyan's death was a 'senseless loss' of yet another young life to the 'horrors of knife crime'. One of the youths in the dock of the Old Bailey smiled as he was sent down. Outside court, Kelyan's mother Marie Bokassa issued a call for action to end the bloodshed. In a statement read on her behalf, she said: 'To the Government and authorities. How many mothers like me, will it take? How many children must we bury before you act with urgency? 'Where are you? Where were you? I had no support from you when my son was alive and no support now that he is dead. A letter of condolence doesn't mean anything to us. 'Our streets are bleeding. Our cemeteries are full. Our prisons are overflowing. Pain and loss is becoming normalised. 'Our streets are no longer safe for our children. Public transport is no longer safe. Schools are no longer safe. You have lost control of London.' She added: 'To the young people who carry knives, I beg you to stop before you raise up blades. Think of your own mother. Think of the mothers who will cry every night, like I do, will scream into her pillow, who will walk past her child's empty room and collapse with grief. 'Don't let a moment of anger steal your future. Don't let the streets raise you in a way your mother never would. There is no power in death, there is only loss.' Earlier, prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said Kelyan had boarded the 472 bus just after 2pm to attend an appointment at the Youth Justice Centre in Woolwich. CCTV showed Kelyan on the back seat of the top deck, with a knife in the waistband of his trousers. Ms Heer said the teenager looked around and out of the windows before taking his seat 'giving every impression that he was concerned for his safety'. The defendants, who cannot be named, boarded the bus 20 minutes later each armed with identical machetes hidden in their clothes. The pair walked towards Kelyan 'with purpose' and withdrew their blades before immediately stabbing him without uttering a word to their victim. Ms Heer said: 'Since Kelyan Bokassa was seated on the back seat, he was cornered, unable to escape as the defendants repeatedly thrust their knives towards him, smiling as they did so.' The attack lasted around 14 seconds, with the youths thrusting the machetes towards Kelyan 27 times. Ms Heer went on: 'Kelyan Bokassa had no time to reach for his own knife, which remained in his trousers, and instead tried in vain to protect himself with his school bag. 'There were several other passengers on the top deck who fled in panic when they realised what was happening. They describe hearing intense screaming from the back of the bus and the victim shouting, 'Help. Help. I've been stabbed'. 'They describe both defendants making quick, forceful movements towards Kelyan Bokassa as he tried to defend himself.' The bus driver activated his emergency alarm just before 2.27pm and the defendants fled when the vehicle stopped at Woolwich Ferry. Kelyan stumbled down the aisle to the stairs, where another passenger went to help him. The boy was heard to say: 'Take me to my mum's. I want my mum,' before his legs buckled, bleeding heavily from a wound to the leg. Members of the public flagged down a passing police car and officers found Kelyan had collapsed and his body was limp. Despite attempts to save him, Kelyan died at the scene at 3.23pm. One of the machetes was thrown into the River Thames, but was later recovered by police. The defendants were quickly identified from CCTV on the bus and arrested. In a victim impact statement read in court, Ms Bokassa said: 'At least my son is at peace, and those two kids are going to have a really tough time. 'I ask myself what has happened to those two boys that has resulted in that terrible act of violence, and I cannot imagine how can they be so angry. 'What they did was horrific and I do not know what has led them to do this, and maybe I will never.' The court heard both defendants have previous convictions for carrying blades in public. Samantha Yelland, senior crown prosecutor for CPS London North, said: 'This was a savage and sustained attack on a 14-year-old boy which was carried out in broad daylight on a busy bus. 'We worked closely with police and were thankfully helped by clear CCTV evidence which both placed the defendants on the bus and showed one of them discarding the machete. They had little choice but to plead guilty.' Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lee, from Scotland Yard, said it had been a 'deeply troubling' case. She said: 'The harsh reality in London is that violence disproportionately affects young black men and boys. 'The fact we're seeing so many teenagers like Kelyan die should be at the forefront of the minds of every politician, every policy maker and everyone who wants better for children growing up in London. 'Without this collective effort, we won't be able to tackle knife crime in its entirety. 'And while I am pleased that Keylan's mother, Marie, has been spared the emotional turmoil of a trial, I know that she still desperately seeks to understand why three young lives could be considered so disposable.
