15 year old murdered by a group of people during rush hour at Victoria Station.

[Deleted]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/oc...muters-shocked

This happened at 5pm, in the middle of a busy train station. A group of roughly 8 people chased him down and hacked him to pieces. To quote the article:

Seconds later a young man slipped a hand into his jacket and flourished a samurai sword, which he held up before shouting: "We're going to fuck you up."

Following his call, the large group of teenagers at his rear pulled an armoury of weapons from their coats and bags – kitchen knives, flick knives, metal bars and batons

Outnumbered and outarmed, his group peeled off and ran for their lives, but Sofyen, a straggler on the edge of the fleeing teenagers, was grabbed from behind.

With a thud, he was rammed against the shutters of a cafe in Terminus Place, outside the station, before slipping away and sprinting towards the top of the escalator that led into the ticket hall.

By now seven or eight rivals were on his tail and another CCTV camera picked them up as they bundled and pushed their victim down the steps until he landed on his back at the foot of the escalator where he was set upon.

Within 12 seconds, Sofyen was dead. The moment – played on CCTV footage to five juries in open court – is a mass of arms and feet, body lunges and the menacing glimpse of weapons being thrust into his body.

A postmortem examination found 20 separate marks of injury on the body, including 11 incised or cutting wounds of which nine were individual stabs.

One wound to Sofyen's right shoulder was 12cm deep and had sliced into his right lung; another inflicted on the front of the chest had penetrated a rib, before wounding his heart and nicking one of his vertebrae.

Two stab wounds cut through his leg and there was a slash wound to the top of his head.

Happy times indeed. What most struck me about it, was that it didn't take place in a deserted alley, this took place in a busy train station during the rushhour period. With plenty of witnesses to the act.

[Skippy88]

Self-Preservation is a powerful thing. You have multiple people with weapons and you expect people to get involved? You go first and let me know how you make out.

It is weird reading the story. On the one hand I get the feeling it started out as a joke that went too far but some of the language they used makes me think they planned all of it. It's highly weird to read they were well off money wise and sons of important figures. Did they note realize they were going to get caught?

[Deleted]

Maybe it was some mob mentality thing, though they had to have realised they weren't going to get away with murder. I realy don't grasp what they could have been thinking.

[wow2011]

Self-Preservation is a powerful thing. You have multiple people with weapons and you expect people to get involved? You go first and let me know how you make out.

Self Preservation is 1 thing. The other thing is.. let's say a man came out and killed all the teenagers Kill Bill style before they reached the kid. What do you think will happen to this "hero"?

[Frozenbeef]

why do you expect people to do? the most they could do is call the police >.<

[Decagon]

IMO, the kids who killed him should be tortured until they die of blood loss. This is absolutely disgusting, I don't understand how someone could possibly do that.

[GreatSageCorban]

less then half were convicted.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/oc...n-belamouadden

Juries rejected the crown case that all the teenagers were equally culpable because they planned the killing on social media the night before, arrived at Victoria station together, and chased their victim as a group – some of whom were armed – before a smaller handful of them surrounded him and killed Sofyen in the ticket hall. The trial judge also intervened at one case to clear five defendants of murder because they were not in the group around Sofyen when he was killed.

[chadwix]

12 and 18 years for a lynching that led to murder? And people bash the us legal system? Id be embarrassed if i lived in the uk

[blackblade]

less then half were convicted.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/oc...n-belamouadden

Of 20 poeple charged:

In the end three teenagers were convicted of murder, five, including Bayode, of manslaughter, two of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, and seven of violent disorder. Three teenagers were acquitted of all charges.

3+5+2+7 = 17.

20/2 = 10. 10 != 17.

3 of Murder, 5 of manslaughter (which is an unplanned killing), 2 of conspiracy to injure or kill, 7 of violent disorder. which probably means they brandished weapons in public.

All of the above will serve time of some sort, have a permanent mark on their record, will likely be expelled from their universities/colleges, and have a hard time finding work that requires a background check.

12 and 18 years for a lynching that led to murder? And people bash the us legal system? Id be embarrassed if I lived in the uk

Most of these people were minors when the crime was commited: they said trial took place across 18 months, (3yrs) and thier ages range from 18-20 today. (making them 15-17 at the time of the murder)


I'm curious what the motive is, for such a public and poorly planned murder. they planned it literally the day of.

[Varyk]

wait....this actually happened?

[-Skye]

Hearing about this sort of shit makes me want to be sick, it's disgusting how humans can treat each other..

[Deleted]

Absolutely disgusting, people who does those kind of things deserve to be locked up for life, phsycopaths is all i say.

[Underverse]

2 groups of teenagers, 1 group fled, one member of the fleeing group was caught and killed.

Sounds like a racial conflict. I think the victim might be muslim.

[Deadvolcanoes]

Ban samurai swords!

Oh its not that type of thread....

Pretty sick stuff. Mob mentality is a very real and dangerous part of being human.

[Deleted]

So if i mention open borders, immigrants running rampant,, muslims will i get banned ?

[Deleted]

Horrifying and despicable. Knife-crime is a really scary problem in the UK. For people to have such disregard for human life really scares me. I'd hate to have the life I love I value so much taken away from me by self-centred thugs like them.

Grudgingly, I understand why the by-standers did nothing. When you see an armed and (somewhat) organised group attacking one individual, even in a crowded area, I think one can't help responding with the thought, "There's eight of them, and one of me. I'd be dead if I tried to stop them.". Even though there are probably hundreds of people near you, just as shocked and angered by the events you are all witnessing, I think it's instinctive to think of yourself being alone, even in a crowd, unless you are familiar with the people you are with.

It would be great if we could all easily and swiftly rally an overwhelming number of people to help the victim before they are attacked, but we're not wired to react that quickly, utilising group-think, in a dangerous situation.

It's like the difference between a herd and a pack, I think.

[tombstoner139]

In the US we would have used guns... looks like you need more legislation...to prevent this sort of thing. yea more laws could have prevented this.... if only melee weapons where banned or some how restricted.

[conscript]

All I have to say is I was absolutely shocked this happened in London. They should put that gang of kids on the gallows.

[nightshark]

I get a picture of this scene in my head similar to the fight in Anchorman.

Pretty messed up, can't believe these kids would actually go through with this.. 18/20 of them were A level students O_o

[tjanson]

Horrifying and despicable. Knife-crime is a really scary problem in the UK. For people to have such disregard for human life really scares me. I'd hate to have the life I love I value so much taken away from me by self-centred thugs like them.

Grudgingly, I understand why the by-standers did nothing. When you see an armed and (somewhat) organised group attacking one individual, even in a crowded area, I think one can't help responding with the thought, "There's eight of them, and one of me. I'd be dead if I tried to stop them.". Even though there are probably hundreds of people near you, just as shocked and angered by the events you are all witnessing, I think it's instinctive to think of yourself being alone, even in a crowd, unless you are familiar with the people you are with.

It would be great if we could all easily and swiftly rally an overwhelming number of people to help the victim before they are attacked, but we're not wired to react that quickly, utilising group-think, in a dangerous situation.

It's like the difference between a herd and a pack, I think.

Or one armed citizen. I meant subject, my bad.