Five teenager boys have been sentenced to a collective total of 65 years for the murder of Waltham Cross teenage Jacob AbrahamMr Justice Edis made the decision to lift the reporting restrictions originally protecting the identity of those responsibleDefendants named as Kai-Fisher Dixon, Tremayne Gray, Shuayb Mahomed, Abdulqaliq Mohamed and Omarion Stephens
Five 15-year-old boys have today (Friday, July 27) been sentenced to a collective total of 65 years for the murder of Waltham Cross teenager Jacob Abraham.
They appeared at the Old Bailey in London this afternoon after previously being found guilty of stabbing Jacob to death at St Albans Crown Court on Monday, June 25.
After an application from the media, Mr Justice Edis made the decision to lift the reporting restrictions originally protecting the identity of those responsible.
Mr Justice Edis told the court that the public needed to know who was responsible for what he described as a ‘gang-land killing’.
The defendants’ names and length of sentences are:
Kai-Fisher Dixon – 12 yearsTremayne Gray – 14 yearsShuayb Mahomed – 12 yearsAbdulqaliq Mohamed – 13 yearsOmarion Stephens – 14 years
All five boys are from the Enfield area of London.
The court heard how the boys had travelled from Enfield to Waltham Cross on the evening of December 7, 2017, with the intention of causing serious harm to 15-year-old Jacob, who had previously complained of trouble between him and other young people from outside the county.
CCTV footage showed them travelling by both bus and train from North London to Waltham Cross before they walked to Hurst Drive, where Jacob lived with his family.
Just after 8pm, Kai Fisher-Dixon called Jacob on his mobile phone and lured him outside to a service road which runs parallel to Hurst Drive. The group then launched their attack, stabbing Jacob in both legs a total of eight times before running from the scene.
Jacob, who suffered a fatal wound to his femoral artery, attempted to make his way back home but collapsed in the service road and later died. The teenager was found by his older brother a short while later, who had gone out to look for him after he failed to return home.
A murder investigation was launched by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit and a press conference was held, appealing to the community to help identify Jacob’s killers.
The investigation quickly progressed and all five boys were arrested and charged with joint enterprise murder.
In a victim impact statement Jacob’s mother said: “I think that I will always struggle to come to terms with the loss of my son, Jacob. He was only 15 years old and had his life ahead of him. His death has left a large hole for all of us.
“The people that have committed this murder will go to prison but they will still get to see their family and will one day be released. We will never get to see Jacob again and I cannot describe how sad that makes me feel.”
Detective Chief Inspector Jerome Kent, who led the investigation, said: “This was a tragic and upsetting case for my whole team to investigate due to the young age of both the victim and the offenders, who are just children.
“We had tremendous support from the local community and partner agencies during the investigation and trial. We would not have gathered the evidence we did without their help.
“I also want to pay tribute to Jacob’s family, who have shown incredible strength throughout the investigation and on the few occasions they felt able to attend court to face their son’s attackers.
“I don’t think I can say that I am pleased with today’s result because I’d rather not be in this position at all. A young boy has lost his life and five more have ruined theirs and those of their families.
“If those boys had chosen not to carry knives that night then I truly believe Jacob would still be alive today. Now they, and more importantly Jacob’s family, have to forever live with the consequences of what they have done.”
Broxbourne Chief Inspector Ian Butler said: “This is such a tragic case. My message is: please don’t carry a knife on our streets. I have seen too many officers come back from visiting scenes of stabbings, and in Jacob’s case, the loss of a young child’s life.”
“Our youth intervention project is key to partnership working. We’re engaging with a number of school’s across the borough and information sharing with them.
“The idea is that when we identify those individuals most at risk, we can then provide a support worker to work with partners, the school, the young person and their family to give that child the best chance of not getting dragged into knife or gang crime.
If you are worried that someone you know may be carrying a knife or are affected by knife crime yourself, there is information, help and support available at www.knifefree.co.uk.