Boy locked up for 15 years for killing ‘bright and talented’ teenager

A boy who fatally stabbed a “bright and talented” 17-year-old then fled on a Boris Bike has been locked up for at least 15 years.

Ayub Hassan, known as A1, was knifed in the heart in an alleyway behind a Waitrose supermarket in Kensington, west London, on March 7.

The 15-year-old attacker, who cannot be named, left the scene as a trainee nurse rushed to help the stricken victim, the Old Bailey heard.

The killing took place in front of a group of youths and was caught on graphic CCTV footage shown in court.

But prosecutor Anthony Orchard QC told jurors none of the youngsters had helped police or offered any explanation for what happened.

One of them was even caught on CCTV throwing the alleged murder weapon – a folding lock knife – into a nearby drain, where it was later recovered by police.

The youth who delivered the fatal wound denied murder, claiming he acted in self-defence.

He told jurors he feared he was about to be stabbed by 12 World gang member Ayub for refusing to deal Class A drugs across county lines for him.

The court heard the defendant had been in trouble with police since he was aged just 14 – with convictions for common assault, dealing Class A drugs and possession of cannabis.

In January 2018 he was caught by an undercover police officer selling crack cocaine and heroin, which led to his conviction that October.

An Old Bailey jury went on to find the defendant, now aged 16, guilty of Ayub’s murder by a majority of 11 to one.

In a victim impact statement read out at his sentencing, Ayub’s 11-year-old sister described her brother as her “best friend”, saying she suffered from sleepless nights.

Addressing his killer, she wrote: “I’m begging you to admit it and tell us why you did it.”

Ayub’s mother Siraad Aden said he was “cherished dearly” by the whole family.

She said: “Ayub was an exceptional young man who was bright, talented, creative, extremely confident and assertive.

“Yes like a lot of young men growing up in west London, he had his problems and issues. However, to me he was very kind, caring, loving, affectionate and absolutely devoted to his mother, brother and sister.

“The loss of Ayub had left my entire family heartbroken and shattered.”

Judge Anuja Dhir QC ordered the defendant to be detained at her Majesty’s pleasure for a minimum of 15 years.

She told the boy: “Ayub was a much-loved teenager with his whole life ahead of him and you took that away from him.

“I have no doubt from the way in which you and your companions arrived and your actions in the alleyway that you had deliberately armed yourself with a knife ready to use if and when you decided to do so.

“You were the aggressor. That was clear from your movements before, during and after the fatal stabbing. At one stage Ayub walked away from you but you followed him and you stabbed him once in the left side of the chest.

“In reality, Ayub Hassan did not stand a chance of surviving – the cause of death was a stab wound to the heart.”

The judge imposed no separate sentence for possession of a knife, which the defendant had admitted.