Adolescente asesinado a puñaladas en Hackney, al este de Londres |
24.05.09 | LONDRES (VOCENTO)
Un chico de catorce años ha sido arrestado por su posible relación con el asesinato de un adolescente en el este de Londres, ha informado Scotland Yard. Agentes de la policía británica encontraron a la víctima, un conocido futbolista de 17 años llamado Jahmal Mason-Blair, con una herida de arma blanca en su cuello en la calle Amhurst del barrio Hackey, poco antes de la una de la madrugada. Un doctor ha confirmado la muerte del joven en el lugar del crimen.
Mason-Blair era un habilidoso jugador de fútbol que no estaba metido en bandas, según ha expresado su hermano mayor Shaun a la cadena Sky News. "No tenía una pizca de maldad en su cuerpo... Todo el mundo está conmocionado", ha declarado. Su amigo Connie Drew ha dicho a la BBC que Jahmal era un "chico encantador... Vivía para el fútbol". La Policía ha solicitado la ayuda de la población o posibles testigos para avanzar en la investigación. "En particular nos gustaría oír a alguien que haya podido ver a un varón negro de entre 14 y 18 años de edad con ropa oscura huyendo de la zona", ha dicho el inspector jefe Phil Rickells.
Este asesinato es el noveno de un adolescente en lo que va de año en la capital británica, aunque la Policía dice que está haciendo progresos para reducir los crímenes con armas blancas. Scotland Yard ha informado esta semana de que los jóvenes heridos por arma blanca han descendido una tercera parte en los últimos doce meses.
EL CORREO
VO
London boy on the way to football stardom stabbed to death
Thirteen-year-old arrested as a talented teenager who had been given a trial at a major Championship club becomes the latest casualty of London's knife attacks
Mark Townsend, Saturday 23 May 2009 LONDON (guardian.co.uk)
The grainy images show a teenager dreaming of life as a professional footballer. Posted a year ago on YouTube, the footage shows the ball-playing repertoire of Jahmal Mason-Blair, whose hopes of stardom ended yesterday on a bloodied pavement in inner-city London.
Shortly after midnight, the 17-year-old was stabbed in the neck following a scuffle in Hackney. Last night Scotland Yard said a 13-year-old boy had been arrested in connection with his murder.
Jahmal, who had been identified by scouts at Tottenham Hotspur as a possible Premiership star and who recently had trials with Reading football club, was the ninth teenager to be murdered in the capital this year.
Paramedics fought to save his life after police officers found him bleeding on the busy Amhurst Road in the early hours of Saturday morning, but he died at the scene. Residents reported seeing a group of 20 teenagers shouting in the street shortly before the murder, with one describing a smaller boy - possibly Jahmal - embroiled in a fight.
The football-mad Spurs fan had recently been euphoric after being invited to train at the club's development centre for young players after scouts identified him as a genuine talent.
According to the Tottenham Hotspur website, trials at the centre act as a "pathway to professional football". Jahmal hoped to emulate Spurs defender Ledley King, who rose through the team's youth academy to become club captain and represent England.
Yesterday, Jahmal's friend Eddie Munnelly, from Tottenham's development centre, said that his slight frame had recently started to fill out, allowing him the chance to compete physically with his peers. "He was a good player, but always struggled with his size and only really shot up recently," said Munnelly.
He also disclosed that the teenager had recently been invited for trials at Reading, which has one of the most respected youth academies in Britain. Friends of Jahmal said it was rare to catch him without a ball at his feet. Connie Drew described him as "a great kid" and said that he stood out as one of the few teenagers who had succeeded in finding an ambition.
"That's the worst thing: he had a goal in his life and he was pursuing it and he wanted to make something of himself," she said. "He was a lovely young boy and never got into any arguments."
Within 12 hours of the murder, more than 100 people had joined a Facebook group dedicated to the teenager. Many praised his "raw talent", while others lamented they had seen him recently in his "lil Tottenham kit". The group's creator wrote: "Jahmal was a great son, great brother & a great friend & he will be dearly missed. Knowing that we're not going to see u play football, Or see that smile again. It will truly hurt us. Rest In Paradise Jamzy".
Friend Shana Glover wrote: "I can't believe what happened, u was here 12 hours ago! Will always remember you, as the sweet an innocent one."
Others revealed how, since he was a boy, Jahmal had devoted his spare time to practising the sport he hoped would become his career and had joined Hackney free and parochial school, a specialist sports college, to help develop his talent.
Jahmal's half-brother, Shaun Mason, 30, said he had been woken in the early hours and told that something had happened to his brother. He said: "He was meant to be coming to stay with his cousin last night but he never made it."
Jahmal's father, Wesley Blair, collapsed when he heard of his son's death and was taken to hospital. Mr Mason said their mother, Tetela Rafeal, lived in Florida and was making plans to fly back to the UK.
The YouTube video shows the balance, touch and skill that caught the eye of football scouts. Ostensibly, the clip shows a competition against an apparently older player to prove who was the most skilful. The simple message at the bottom of the footage says: "I won."
Forensic science officers sealed off nearby streets in the search for clues. Acting Detective Chief Inspector Phil Rickells, who is leading the murder inquiry, appealed for witnesses who had been on Amhurst Road at the time. A postmortem examination is expected today, and is likely to identify the type of weapon that punctured Jahmal's neck.
A month ago the half-brother of Spurs striker Jermain Defoe died in an attack in east London and two weeks ago, a teenager who stabbed a promising 19-year-old footballer to death in a nightclub was jailed for a minimum of 14 years.
A grim year for London
7 May: Adam Pervaiz, 18. Found stabbed to death in a stairwell in Deptford, south-east London.
27 April: Oluwaseyi Christopher Sunday Ogunyemi, 16. Stabbed and killed in a park in Lambeth, south London.
14 March: Abdulkarim Boudiaf, 18. Shot in Broadwater Road, Tottenham.
13 March: Wahab Zaaki, 18. Stabbed to death in Walthamstow, east London.
22 February: Shannen Vickers, 17. Died in an arson attack at her home in Bethnal Green, east London.
19 February: Hassan Kul Hawadleh, 19. Stabbed to death at a service station in Wealdstone, north-west London. Michael Simon Wright, 17. Stabbed to death in Stratford, east London.
24 January: Stephen Lewis, 15. Stabbed to death in Plaistow, east London.
GUARDIAN
Boy, 13, held over teenager death
A 13-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the murder of a promising young footballer in London.
BBC, Sunday, 24 May 2009
Jahmal Mason-Blair, 17, was found by police with a stab wound in his neck in a street in Hackney early on Saturday. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Friends of the teenager said he dreamed of being a professional footballer and was rarely seen without a ball.
Scotland Yard said the 13-year-old was arrested in east London at 2030 BST and was being held at a police station.
A post-mortem examination will be carried out on Sunday.
'Never made it'
The teenager's half-brother Shaun Mason, 30, said Jahmal's father, Wesley Blair, collapsed when he heard of his son's death and was taken to hospital.
Mr Mason said their mother Tetela Rafeal lived in Florida and was making plans to fly back to the UK after her daughter broke the news.
"He (Jahmal) was meant to be coming to stay with his cousin... but he never made it," he said.
Remember we may have lost a friend, but Heaven has gained an angel
Shana Glover
Jahmal, who had been given a trial at Reading Football Club but was not offered a contract, is the ninth teenager to die in violent circumstances in London this year.
Following the attack, hundreds of people joined a Facebook group set up in memory of the teenager.
Tributes to Jahmal included one from friend Shana Glover, which read: "Remember we may have lost a friend, but Heaven has gained an angel. Will be forever missed."
Another friend, Ashleigh Willer, wrote: "I know football was your passion and it's a shame to know that you're not going to be able to pursue your career as a professional footballer, but in my eyes you were a professional from the beginning."
In 2008, 28 teenagers were killed in violent incidents in the capital.
BBC
Youth footballer fatally stabbed
Jahmal Mason-Blair was pronounced dead at the scene
BBC, Saturday, 23 May 2009
A teenager, said to be a promising young footballer, has been stabbed to death in east London.
The boy, named locally as Jahmal Mason-Blair and thought to be 17, was found by officers shortly before 0001 BST in Amhurst Road, Hackney.
Police said he suffered a puncture wound to the neck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Met said there had been no arrests but his death was being treated as murder.
A post-mortem examination will be carried out on Sunday.
The boy's family confirmed earlier that Jahmal was not a youth team player for Tottenham Hotspur football club following media reports.
However the promising footballer had been given a trial at Reading Football Club.
A club spokesman said: "He had a brief trial with us last year but it wasn't followed up by a contract."
The teenager's half-brother Shaun Mason, 30, said he was woken in the early hours of the morning and told something had happened.
"He was meant to be coming to stay with his cousin... but he never made it," he said.
Connie Drew, a friend of the victim: "He wasn't one for arguments"
"I got a phone call, but also some missed calls because I was asleep, and then my sister came and started banging down my door."
He said Jahmal's father had been taken to hospital to see his son but that he offered to identify his son for him.
He said their mother was flying back from her home in Florida after his sister, Maria, called to break the news to her.
Friends of the teenager said he dreamed of becoming a professional footballer and was rarely seen without a ball at his feet.
One woman, who did not want to be named, said she thought she heard a fight start in the street some time after midnight.
'Lots of shouting'
She said: "There were about 20 boys; it looked like there was a little one trying to have a fight with somebody else.
"I just heard lots of shouting, then they all split off into different directions. I don't know what happened next."
Local traders said police had cordoned off an area at the north of Amhurst Road, where it meets Dalston Lane and Pembury Road. One trader said that the whole junction was closed.
Forensic teams and police officers remain at the scene.
Both the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London's Air Ambulance (HEMS) attended the scene where the teenager was found injured, near the junction of Bodney Road.
Amhurst Road is close to Hackney Downs and Hackney Central railway stations.
Large sections of Dalston Lane and Amhurst Road remain closed and trains are not stopping at nearby Hackney Downs railway station.
Det Ch Insp Phil Rickells said: "Amhurst Road is quite a busy road with shops and flats so there is a chance someone may have been driving past and saw what happened."
He said the police wanted to hear from anyone who may have seen a black teenager aged between 14 and 18 wearing dark clothing running away from the scene.
The victim is the ninth teenager to die in violent circumstances in London this year.
In 2008, 28 teenagers were killed in violent incidents in the capital.
BBC
