HOLD FOR VERDICT A teenager who stabbed his bes

HOLD FOR VERDICT

A teenager who stabbed his best friend 65 times after a row over a video game was today facing years behind bars for the killing.

Yonis Jama, 16, an avid reader of violent comics,
went to Steven Siewlal’s home to help him write a love letter.

But the schoolboy exploded with rage when Steven threatened to take Jama’s Sony Playstation in payment for a lost game cartridge worth just pnd stlg 30.

Jama, who thought himself ‘different’ to other boys
used two knives and a screwdriver during a frenzied attack on the sixth former

He stopped midway through the onslaught to fetch another knife after the blade of the first became too bent to use.

Jama stabbed Steven again, then tied his body with vacuum cleaner flex to give the impression of a robbery before fleeing the house.

The killer, who is now 18, denied murder but was convicted of xxx a jury at Inner London Crown.

Judge XXXX remanded Jama for reports but warned:

The body of the 16-year-old was discovered on the living room floor by his distraught mother Chandra, 44, when she returned from work.

Mrs Siewlal had let her son have a lie-in as it was his day off at Barnet College where he was studying for a GNVQ in Advanced Information Technology.

‘The first thing I noticed was blood on his trainers.

When I bent down to look at him I saw huge slits on his face,’ she recalled.

‘Initially I saw what I thought was water until I saw big cuts on his neck.

‘I crouched down and shook him to see if he was conscious.

I shook him by the shoulder.

There was no response.

‘I then started screaming his name to see if he would wake up but he didn’t.

I screamed as much as I could.

I then called police.

‘

The two boys had shared an interest in computer games and had been schoolmates at White Hart Lane School, in Tottenham.

Jama had been at Steven’s home in Willingdon Road, Turnpike Lane, north London, on September 22, 1999, to help him write to his sweetheart.

A knife with an eight inch blade was found in a park by a woman walking her dog minutes after the attack.

The park was on the route back to Jama’s home in Rosslyn Road, Seven Sisters, north London.

The other knife with a four inch blade bent to a 90 degree angle and sheaths for the weapons were later found in the park by police.

Jama initially denied visiting Steven at all, claiming he was at one of his regular haunts – a shop selling Manga – violent Japanese comics and videos.

Defence psychiatrist Dr Stephen Brugha said Jama was suffering from a form of autism known as Asperger’s Syndrome.

Dr Brugha said: ‘Faced with a conundrum or obstacle they cannot work through with communication, reason or use of gesture, they react with a more primitive form of extreme behaviour.

‘This may occur if something of great importance to them is threatened as in this case the removal of a Playstation.

‘

But prosecution experts rejected the autism diagnosis claiming Jama in fact had ‘an anger management problem.

‘

Jama admitted the manslaughter – by way of diminished responsibility or by provocation – because he claimed Steven attacked him with a knife.

But describing the incident to psychiatrist Dr Susan Bailey Somalian-born Jama said in disjointed English that Steven’s request for pnd stlg 30 or his Playstation was ‘unbelievable.

‘

He added: ‘Disaster.

It was the end of the world.

‘

‘I had no excuse.

Trouble.

Had to find an excuse.

Had a good excuse.

Could not get money from mum.

Passed the message on to Steven.

‘He was not OK about the answer.

He came towards me.

I distracted by proddings between chest and shoulders.

‘I was not paying attention to the words he was saying.

I remember not liking proddings.

‘I just pushed him away.

I think this was when fight started.

I was unhappy.

Angry.

‘He threw a silver pot at me.

Somehow I noticed his hand was folding so without thinking I threw a punch hitting him on the side of the cheek.

‘He was on the floor.

I was scared for some reason.

I was shaking.

I don’t like fighting.

‘I don’t think he was listening.

That is when he slowly got up.

I expected him to say something, but he took the knife out.

I was not thinking.

‘Distraction.

What going to do next.

Stabbed him a couple of times.

‘

Jama told the doctor he did not think he was mad, ‘only different’.

The court heard Jama had taken the knives from a small collection belonging to Siewlal – ranging from Swiss Army knives to the combat knives.

ends