Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police
A teenager has been jailed for stabbing his school friend to death in an east London park.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment at the Old Bailey on Friday, 20 June.
The judge ruled he was a ‘dangerous offender’ and ordered that he must serve at least seven years of his sentence in prison.
He was found guilty at the same court of the manslaughter of 15-year-old Pharell Garica following a trial that concluded on Friday, 7 February. He was found not guilty of murder.
The court heard that the defendant, who was aged 15 at the time, stabbed Pharell in the heart, chased him until he collapsed then fled without helping him and disposed of the weapon.
The defendant admitted stabbing Pharell, but claimed it was in self-defence. However, the jury disagreed with this account.
Detective Chief Inspector Kelly Allen from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, who led the investigation, said: “Our thoughts very much remain with Pharell’s family and friends, who had to re-live the last traumatic moments of his young life during the trial after the defendant failed to take responsibility for his actions.
“Somehow the defendant came to be in possession of a multi-tool, which he claimed in court was carried to the scene by the victim. The evidence we gathered disputed the defendant’s account that he grabbed the multi-tool and delivered a fatal blow to save his life. When the defendant became in possession of that weapon he had a choice. He could have walked away, he could’ve thrown the multi-tool to the floor. Instead, he chose to stab Pharell in the heart and then chased him, still armed with the knife, until he saw the victim collapse from his fatal injuries. Instead of rushing over to help his former friend, he fled the scene and tried to dispose of the evidence.
“Our investigation revealed that the defendant had a fascination with knives after we found 43 images and videos from 16 and 17 July alone of him playing with knives.”
Detective Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who leads policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said: “Pharell’s death was first and foremost a devastating tragedy for his family and friends, but it also had considerable impact across our local communities.
“While overall violence has been reducing in Hackney, tragic events such as this serve as a reminder that too many of our children and young people have to contend with the callous reality of knife crime. We continue to work night and day, with the council, local charities and wider partners to address both the root causes of knife crime and to deter people from carrying knives through police action.
“If any young person feels they need to carry a knife please speak to a parent, carer, teacher, youth leader or adult you trust and we can get you the support to step back from that decision safely.”
Police were called at around 16.05hrs on Tuesday, 23 July to Stellman Close, E5 to reports of a stabbing.
Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended, but sadly Pharell was pronounced dead at the scene.
The court heard that Pharell and the defendant, who used to be friends before a falling out, met in the park shortly before the attack. The defendant had told a mutual friend that he was going to fight Pharell as he was talking about him.
Following Pharell’s death, the police received some information, which led them to make an arrest enquiry at the defendant’s address. He was not home.
Detectives soon tracked him down to a family friend’s house, where he stayed following the manslaughter, and he was arrested at 05:07hrs on Wednesday, 24 July.
Detectives then began their lengthy investigation of gathering evidence to prove the defendant was responsible for killing Pharell. They reviewed hours CCTV that captured the defendant entering the park, before putting his hood-up, walking to the area where the attacked happened with Pharell, chasing Pharell out of the park while still holding the knife and then finally disposing of the weapon.
The weapon was recovered close to where the defendant was seen discarding it on CCTV. The multi-tool was forensically linked to both the defendant and Pharell.
Officers also analysed the defendant’s mobile phone which showed communication of Snapchat between the pair in the days leading up to the manslaughter, as well as 43 videos and photos of the defendant playing with knives only a week before the killing on Tuesday, 16 and Wednesday, 17 July. The defendant also messaged his mother following the attack saying he could not come home, to remove certain items from their home and asking to go to Portugal.
The defendant gave a prepared statement to officers admitting to stabbing Pharell but saying he did it in self-defence after getting the knife off him – something detectives and the jury disputed.
He was charged on Thursday, 25 July and was convicted as above.