New Year's Day murder: man convicted
| Published: 24th June 2008 20:52 |
A 21-year old man has been found guilty of the murder of a teenager fatally stabbed in the heart outside an east London club in the early hours of New Year's Day 2007.
Stephen Boachie, aged 17, died in hospital after being stabbed twice by Chester Daudu outside The Thatched House in Barking, around 5.20am, on 1 January, 2007.
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Stephen Boachie |
Chester Daudu, of Corporation Street, E15 appeared at the Old Bailey on 24 June to hear the jury's verdict on what the police termed a senseless killing. He will be sentenced on 17 July.
Stephen and Daudu had a scuffle outside the club in Ripple Road as people started to leave following an overnight event.
Angered by what had occurred between them, Daudu crossed the road and walked over to a BMW car he had earlier been sitting in, before returning to Stephen and stabbing him twice in the upper body, piercing the teenager?s heart.
Daudu left the scene in the BMW. He was arrested in the Newham area on 13 February 2007 and later charged with the murder.
In an impact statement read out to court, Kwasi Boachie, Stephen's father, said:
"It is hard to accept that we brought Stephen over from Ghana to the UK to have a better education and prosperous future, but all that has been dashed by a murderer in this craze of knife carrying gangs.
"Stephen was the live wire of our family - hardworking, always ready to help, dedicated to schoolwork, household chores and Christian activities. We have been experiencing nightmares and sleepless nights. A vacuum has been created in the family set up and we will have to cope with it for the rest of our lives."
DI Tim Wilkinson,from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said:
"Daudu's reckless and violent actions resulted in the senseless killing of Stephen Boachie, a 17-year-old boy with his whole life ahead of him.
"Although it is not known why Daudu attacked Stephen, it was clear that he was armed with a blade and his intention to kill was formed in a matter of seconds.
"This verdict reinforces the message that carrying knives does have devastating consequences. Stephen's family have lost a much-loved son and our thoughts are with them today.
"I would like to thank the witnesses who assisted police in bringing this case to court. They were willing to confront the menace of knife crime and they deserve our thanks and admiration."
