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The Independent
16-05-2025
- The Independent
‘Justice has been served', say family of woman killed at Notting Hill Carnival
The family of a woman stabbed to death in front of her three-year-old daughter during Notting Hill Carnival's family day said 'justice has been served' as her killer was jailed for life with a minimum term of 29 years. Shakeil Thibou, 20, stabbed Cher Maximen, 32, in the groin as her young daughter was close by on August 25 last year. Judge Philip Katz KC said Thibou's 'brazen' attack had been carried out in broad daylight in front of families and the police. Speaking outside court, Ms Maximen's family said 'no sentence is long enough' for her killer. Her sister TJ Jacobs added: 'We're glad that justice has been served. 'We hope that it acts as a deterrent to people that choose to come along to any occasion or any event and act so recklessly and without thought in situations that can lead to just such catastrophic events.' Asked about Ms Maximen's daughter, her grandmother said she is 'growing up lovely'. She added: 'She's happy. She's smiling constantly. 'We don't forget about her mummy. We speak about her mum all the time. 'She's thriving… she's got her village around her, her community… she's doing well.' Thibou, who wore a medical face mask and blue beanie hat in the dock, looked straight ahead throughout the hearing. Moments before he stabbed Ms Maximen, he had carried out an 'equally horrifying attack' on a man who was backing away from him, his Old Bailey trial heard. Thibou was found guilty of murder and also convicted of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to 20-year-old Adjei Isaac with intent, and having an offensive weapon. His brother Sheldon Thibou, 25, was found guilty of violent disorder and assaulting Pc Oliver Mort, who tried to intervene. A third brother, Shaeim Thibou, 22, was cleared of violent disorder but convicted of assaulting Pc Mort. Judge Katz said it was 'not possible to overstate the impact' of Ms Maximen's death on her family and friends. 'Cher Maximen took her three-year-old daughter to a children's day at the Notting Hill Carnival,' he said. 'Instead of them both just enjoying a fun day together, that child witnessed her mother being murdered in front of her. 'The police were totally outnumbered as the violence spun out of control. 'Just watching the body-worn footage was terrifying. 'When violence broke out, you were quick to move to join in. 'You were so fired up that you didn't hesitate to use your knife. 'You were so brazen that it was carried out in front of police officers.' Before the judge delivered his sentence, Thibou shook hands with and spoke to his brother Shaeim through the glass panels of the dock. The trial heard how a disturbance broke out at about 5.48pm between the defendants and at least two other males close to where Ms Maximen was standing with her group. The crowd parted as Sheldon Thibou got into a physical confrontation with the males, prompting Pc Mort to step in to break it up, jurors had heard. Sheldon Thibou was holding a stun gun as he and Shaeim hit out at the officer, the court heard. Meanwhile, Shakeil Thibou thrust a 'huge' knife repeatedly towards Mr Isaac's stomach, only missing him because the victim drew back. Ms Maximen was knocked to the ground after Mr Isaac came into contact with her, then managed to partially get to her feet, prosecutor Ed Brown KC said. She appeared to lift her right leg at Shakeil Thibou who raised the knife directly towards her and deliberately stabbed her in her groin, jurors heard. The defendants, of Hammersmith, west London, had denied the charges against them although Sheldon Thibou admitted having the stun gun. In his defence, Shakeil Thibou claimed he picked up the knife at the carnival and acted in self-defence against Mr Isaac. He claimed the death of Ms Maximen was an accident. Philip Evans KC, defending, said Thibou had expressed 'regret' and 'remorse' for what happened. In a victim impact statement read to the court, grandmother Vyleen Maximen said: 'Cher was my first born grandchild, my friend. 'I held you in my arms when you were born. Thirty-two years of loving, laughing, playing, crying and holidaying with you. I will no longer have that pleasure ever again. I won't see you get married or having more children. 'The hole in my heart will never be filled. 'I will never hear your key in my front door shouting 'hello nanny'. 'Life will never be the same, ever.' Shaeim Thibou was handed a six-month jail term suspended for 18 months. Judge Katz told him he had gone 'too far' when he assaulted the police officer. 'This is a warning. If you think loyalty to your brothers enables you to break the law, you are very much mistaken,' he added. Sheldon Thibou will be sentenced at a later date. Emma Currie, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'This is a profoundly tragic case where a young child lost her mother, on what was meant to be a family friendly day for them both at the carnival. 'Cher was caught up in the panicked crowd caused by the actions of the Thibou brothers, who robbed her of her life and the chance to see her little girl grow up. 'The brothers' actions showed no regard for the hundreds of people around them. 'Our thoughts remain with Cher's family and friends as they deal with this unimaginable loss.'
BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
Notting Hill Carnival murder: 'I think my mummy's dead'
"I think my mummy's dead".Cher Maximen, a "bubbly, vivacious and creative" mother, was fatally stabbed with a zombie knife at Notting Hill Carnival while trying to protect her three-year-old daughter last year after a fight broke out between a group of was taken to hospital for emergency surgery but died six days family spent hours agonising how to break the news to her daughter. When they did, her response was that she "couldn't save her" to which they replied: "Of course you couldn't, you're only little". When they picked her up from the hospital, the little girl was still wearing the silver shorts she had worn at attack happened on what is known as family Friday, Shakeil Thibou, 20, from Kensington in west London, was jailed for life for Cher's murder and ordered to serve a minimum term of 29 years. The day before he was sentenced, I spoke to TJ Jacobs, who is the godmother to Cher's daughter, at her home in King's Cross, along with Cher's grandmother Vyleen Maximen, who is now raising Cher's daughter.A patchwork teddy bear, one of several special keepsakes created for Cher's loved ones, sat between them on the sofa, sewn together from fragments of her old clothes."We didn't want to keep all her stuff in bags," Ms Jacobs explained, pointing out one patch, from a dress Cher had worn when they went to watch Beyoncé together, and another from a T-shirt she remembered buying her when she was a teenager. 'I keep thinking she's on holiday' "Her smile went from ear to ear," said Ms Maximen described her granddaughter as "fearless and adventurous", remembering how, one morning eight years ago, she'd disappeared during a trip to Barbados and returned explaining she'd met some local fishermen and was proudly showing off her catch. "I just keep thinking she is on holiday," she said. "The hole in my heart will never be filled."Ms Jacobs agreed. "It just doesn't make sense that someone full of life is gone." She said that although Cher had experienced difficulties in her life, she had recently found happiness, moving into a beautiful new apartment, and starting up a fashion business, designing jewellery and described Cher as a devoted and protective mother, and that she died trying to shield her daughter. "She wasn't trying to get involved in a fight," Ms Jacobs said, describing how a group of men had started fighting "with no regard" to others nearby, and how the knife had come very close to Cher's little girl. "They fell on top of where the children were sitting," she said. "But those that were involved had no thought that a three year old has to live with the fact that, 'my mum died because my mum was saving my life'."Cher was rushed to hospital for major surgery, but died six days later. "When we sat down to ask, do you know what's happened to mummy, she said, 'I think my mummy's dead'." 'You would have liked her' During the four-week trial held last month at the Old Bailey, Ms Jacobs said she had been struck by the details she'd heard from Thibou's defence team about challenges he had faced while growing up, and had reflected on how Cher herself would have been able to relate to those experiences, had he not taken her life. "You almost want to grab them," she said, referring to the defendant, "and say, 'you would have had so much in common with her, you would have liked her, she would have stood up for you!'"The family said they had also been saddened by the sight of other grieving families who had lost loved ones to violence who attended court each day, also hoping for justice. Ms Jacobs said that she believed society had come "desensitised" to violence and that many young people felt "really small and powerless". "We need to find a way, I guess, to instil hope and pride and positivity in young people that doesn't lead on to these other things," she said, calling for more youth clubs, job opportunities and mental health support. 'Carnival did not kill Cher' Cher's murder led some to criticise safety at Notting Hill Carnival, but while her family share some of those concerns, Ms Jacobs said that cancelling the event would not stop knife crime. She said she felt safety concerns over Carnival needed to be properly addressed, and called for a focus on prevention measures including better mental health support for young people. "What we're saying is, we don't want anyone else to experience losing a loved one to knife crime. So it makes no sense to focus on Carnival, because we recognise that's not what killed Cher," she said. Ms Maximen agreed, but said that although she had once really enjoyed attending the event, she did worry about safety, particularly over the large numbers of people on the streets. "This is just my thoughts... I personally think it should be in a park, that's my opinion," she suggested. "If the genuine opinion is, we all appreciate the value, the heritage, the importance of Carnival, then it deserves a conversation," added Ms Jacobs. "To really look at, how do we safeguard those who come here just to have a good time?" She asked people to think of Cher's daughter in those discussions. "No one else's story is more important than that." Ms Maximen said life now was about focusing on her great granddaughter. "We laugh and dance every day. We talk about Cher every day."That's the only comfort I've got. That I've got her daughter to look after. "I'll look after her to my last breath."
Sky News
16-05-2025
- Sky News
Shakeil Thibou: Man who fatally stabbed mother Cher Maximen at Notting Hill Carnival jailed
A man who fatally stabbed a mother in front of her three-year-old daughter at Notting Hill Carnival has been jailed for life. Shakeil Thibou, 20, was convicted of murdering Cher Maximen at the Old Bailey last month. On Friday, Thibou, 20, was jailed at the Old Bailey for life with a minimum term of 29 years. Ms Maximem, 32, was with friends when she became caught up in a fight involving multiple men - and died in hospital from her injuries six days later. 1:19 Following Thibou's conviction, Detective Chief Inspector Alex Gammampila said: "Cher was a loving mother who went to Notting Hill Carnival to enjoy what should have been a carefree day ... her life was ended in the most senseless way. "In stark contrast, Shakeil Thibou went to Carnival not to be part of the celebration, but to engage in violence. Why else would he have arrived armed with a large knife and seeking confrontation?" The attack, which was caught on camera, happened just off the parade route on 25 August last year. Cher's relative TJ Jacobs, who is godmother to her daughter, said: "What happened to us has completely turned our lives upside down. Losing Cher has filled our hearts with immeasurable sadness. "This senseless act of violence has cut short a life that had so much more to offer the world and was only just beginning to blossom." Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
