Killer Elijah Gokool-Mely laughs before he murders Victor Lee

Chilling footage shows the moment a laughing killer makes gun signs before he stabbed a teenager to death and pushed him into a canal.

Elijah Gokool-Mely, 18, murdered Victor Lee, 17, to death for a blue Ikea bag containing weapons.

Victor was pulled out of the Grand Union in west London by two houseboat residents but bled to death on the towpath on 25 June last year.

Gokool-Mely denied but was convicted of murder and robbery by a jury after a five week trial.

The footage shows him riding away from the incident on the handlebars of Victor’s bicycle as a teenager pedals behind him.

He also wrote a rap number bragging about what he had done.

Gokool-Mely squeezed a stress ball behind his back as he was convicted of murder.

Judge Peter Rook, KC, adjourned sentencing Gokool-Mely until 19 July and told him: ‘The minimum term you will serve in this case will be a long one.’

A notebook was recovered from Gookol-Mely’s prison cell while he was on remand in December 2023.

It contained the rap verses: ‘Everyone on at the 8pm news, ITV, Sky, BBC; Broadcasting the stabbing I done.

‘The people that knew me changed their views; I tried my best to leave no clues.

‘My door got boomed, my mum’s confused; No I don’t feel sorry for the yute [victim].’

Later lyrics revealed his lack of remorse, adding: ‘On the phone I’m saying I’m innocent; Hop of (sic) the call then laugh in my cell.

‘Aye officer no I didn’t kill him; Just stabbed him sent him heaven or hell.’

Jurors heard Victor had been buying knives online for months prior to the attack to sell them to other teenagers.

His mother said he was ‘aspirational’ and had previously made money selling bicycles.

Victor had met the killers earlier on 25 June and sold them a crossbow but they later asked him to meet again to sell them some knives.

Prosecutor Crispin Aylett, KC, told the court: ‘Victor Lee was just 17 when he was murdered last summer, in broad daylight on the towpath of the Grand Union Canal, near Wormwood Scrubs Park.

‘Victor was stabbed twice in the back and once in the chest before, for good measure, being pushed into the canal.

‘Two men living on houseboats on the other side of the canal were able to haul Victor onto the bank but, within minutes, he had bled to death.

‘In the months before his murder, Victor Lee had started buying knives and even a crossbow on the internet. He had been selling them for profit.’

He first met Gokool-Mely by the canal to sell him a crossbow, the court heard.

Victor was later asked if he could sell any more weapons and he sent a photo of three knives and five knife boxes, the court heard.

Mr Aylett said Gokool-Mely returned to the towpath just after 5.30pm.

He said: ’There are no eye-witnesses to the murder of Victor Lee.

‘One witness did see the Elijah Gokool-Mely, pushing Victor into the canal but, but by that time, Victor must already have been stabbed three times.

‘Nobody heard anything either. The first thing that either of the two men on their houseboats heard was the sound of a splash as Victor hit the water.

‘I suppose you might say that Victor Lee had been playing a dangerous game.

‘On the other hand, you may think, he would not have expected to be murdered by his own customers, to whom, after all, and albeit in a rather warped way, he had been providing a service.’

He said Gokool-Mely then took Victor’s rucksack and stole his bicycle.

Victor lived with his father in Old Oak Common in North Acton.

Gokool-Mely, of White City Estate, Shepards Bush, denied but was convicted of murder and robbery.

A 16-year-old and a 15-year-old, who cannot be named, denied and were cleared of murder and robbery after 16 hours and 37 minutes of jury deliberation.

Victor Lee

Relatives in the public gallery sobbed and hugged as the teens were cleared.

Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, the senior investigating officer who led the investigation, said: ‘This conviction was the result of a tenacious and thoroughly professional police investigation, supported by a range of specialists and partners including the Crown Prosecution Service.

‘However, I would like the focus today to be on the tragedy that Victor’s family have suffered and on the part that young people being able to easily buy knives and other weapons played in his death.

‘Victor was a young man who was not directly involved with gangs or criminality – he had an interest in buying, fixing and selling bikes. He had energy and drive but sadly not enough wisdom. His family have told me that he had an inability to properly assess situations, people or threats.

‘When Victor crossed paths with the defendant, he took advantage of him and ultimately subjected him to a sudden, unprovoked and shockingly violent assault.

‘Having worked so intensely on this case – speaking to Victor’s family and thinking about his life and tragic death – it will forever be a source of regret to me that this vulnerable but independent young man was able to buy weapons online simply by altering the date of birth in his passport.

‘Having previously purchased knives, Victor brought a crossbow online in the days before he was killed, and seems to have sold this to his killer at around 3pm on the day of his murder.

‘He was robbed and murdered when seeking to sell knives to him later that day.

‘Apparently unable to grasp the devastating consequences of his actions, he probably regarded this as an interesting scheme to make some money. But, having met his killer after arranging to sell the weapons via Snapchat, this scheme sparked the events which cost him his life.

‘Victor had his life ahead of him and his family have been torn apart by what happened to him. They are understandably still struggling to come to terms with his murder, and the events that led to his death at such a young age. My thoughts are with them today, and I can only hope that today’s conviction can bring them some small measure of comfort.’

Young people with information about violence or knife crime can visit fearless.org where they can pass on information anonymously. Fearless is part of the Crimestoppers charity, and is also independent of the police. They can also provide help or information to support someone who may be involved in knife crime.