‘How can 16-year-olds act with such savagery?’
Three teenagers who celebrated after knifing an aspiring rapper to death for gatecrashing an Airbnb party were identified by a judge (today) as they were jailed for more than 50 years.
Lewis Blackman, 19, known as ‘Dotty’, was part of a group of 10 men who turned up uninvited at the 16th birthday bash in Kensington, southwest London on 17 February last year.
The birthday girl advertised the party over Snapchat and wanted to invite around 50 people including girls from school and boys she knew from social media.
She was careful to only invite guests from Hackney, and wanted to avoid inviting any boys from Camden, as she knew there was a ‘history’ between young men from the two areas.
CCTV footage shows the gang chasing down Mr Blackman to kill him
But Mr Blackman’s group, from Camden, made the ill-fated decision to turn up uninvited and were quickly chased out of the property.
Chilling CCTV footage of the barbaric murder attack showed Mr Blackman initially being hunted by around 20 young men, many wielding knives.
His pursuers continue to tear after him before Demario Williams, 17, can be seen plunging a huge knife into his back, causing Mr Blackman to collapse with a devastating wound and drop his own blade.
Mr Blackman, now lying helpless on the pavement, was surrounded and stabbed 13 more times by seven different attackers in just 10 seconds – including once more by Williams, at least three times by 17-year-old Lawrence Nkunku-Linongi and once more by Paul Glasgow, also 17.
‘The brutality of this attack, we say, is truly shocking,’ said prosecutor Tom Little QC.
‘So are the apparent celebration and the calm and carefree way in which those responsible walked or jogged away.’
Footage showed the youths, who minutes earlier had been pelting after Mr Blackman determined to seek their revenge, now calmly swaggering back the way they came, some even pausing to wave at their victim’s friends.
Williams, Nkunku-Linongi and Glasgow were all convicted of murder following trial.
All three were detained for life, with Williams ordered to serve at least 20 years with the other two serving at least 18 years before being considered for release.
Thierry Edusei, 17, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter after being identified as one of the chasing pack and detained for 11 years.
All four were aged just 16 at the time of the murder.
Victim: Lewis Blackman
Judge Anthony Leonard QC lifted orders barring publication of their identities today (fri) before sentencing them for the ‘sustained and ferocious’ attack.
He told Williams, Nkunku-Linongi and Glasgow they would have been looking at minimum terms in excess of 27 years had they been over 18.
‘It is hard to comprehend that the savagery which is so plain to see on the CCTV footage was meted out by 16-year-olds,’ the judge said.
‘No better example can there be of the horrific dangers posed by groups of youths who go out armed with knives.
‘It is only so easy and seemingly natural in your circle for you to get your knives out and use them or be ready to use them on someone on the opposing group.’
The court heard Nkunku-Linongi was stopped at Westfield Shopping Centre wielding a terrifying Rambo-style knife on Boxing Day weeks before the murder.
On body worn footage Williams, who himself has a history of carrying blades, can be heard bragging to one of the officers during the arrest: ‘We are from the streets.’
Glasgow has a previous conviction for assault whilst Edusei was on police bail for other serious offences at the time of the attack on Mr Blackman.
What was supposed to be a night of celebration turned to disaster when the aspiring rapper, who was from Camden, turned up with his group and tried to force their way inside at around 3am.
They caused damage inside the flat causing guests flee over a back wall.
CCTV cameras captured Mr Blackman’s group being chased through Earl’s Court by a number of those inside.
The victim was carrying a knife whilst one of his friends was armed with an imitation firearm, the court heard.
Several of the chasing mob also had blades.
During the course of the chase, Mr Blackman turned back to face up to his pursuers before quickly realising the ‘perilous’ situation he was in and running off.
Moments after being dropped by the opening blow, a ‘brutal’ 12-inch wound jurors heard could well have proved fatal by itself, before the rest of the mob swarmed the helpless victim.
Mr Blackman died at the scene shortly after 3.20am.
In a moving victim impact statement, Lewis’ mother described how her and his father’s lives were ‘destroyed’ by what happened to their son.
She described Lewis as ‘a fun, popular and compassionate person’ who ‘was good at sports and loved his music’ whilst his rugby club paid tribute to the ‘natural sportsman with outstanding potential’.
Williams, of Bath Road, Enfield, north London, was detained for life with a minimum term of 20 years.
Nkunku-Linongi, of Ward Lane, and Glasgow, of Warwick Grove, both in Hackney, east London, were each detained for life with minimum terms of 18 years.
Edusei, of Cannon Road, Haringey, north London, was detained for 11 years.
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