The mother of a man accused of a fatal barbershop stabbing allegedly tried to orchestrate his escape to Jamaica in the aftermath of the killing, a court has heard.
Nerissa Williams, 55, appeared at the Old Bailey charged with assisting an offender – her son, 22-year-old Tahjgeem Breakenridge. Breakenridge is accused of murdering 22-year-old Taye Faik, a talented footballer, in a violent attack at the Turkish Barberz in Wood Green, north London, on November 26 last year.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones detailed the shocking allegations, stating that after the incident, Williams is accused of purchasing a one-way flight to Kingston, Jamaica, for her son, scheduled for December 5, 2023.
A Life Cut Short in a Brutal Attack
The court was told that the altercation began inside the busy barbershop before spilling out onto the street. Mr. Faik, who had no prior connection to his attacker, was pursued and stabbed multiple times in a sustained and violent assault.
He was rushed to a central London hospital but was pronounced dead later that evening. His death sent waves of grief through the local community and the football world, where he was known as a promising athlete.
The Alleged Escape Plan
Mr. Emlyn Jones told jurors that following the stabbing, Breakenridge went to his mother's home. It is the prosecution's case that Williams then took active steps to help him evade justice.
"The prosecution alleges that the defendant well knew that her son had been involved in the killing of Taye Faik," he said. The purchased airline ticket was a direct attempt to "get him out of the country and away from the arms of the law," the prosecutor added.
Williams, of Hornsey, north London, denies the charge against her. Her son, Tahjgeem Breakenridge, of no fixed address, has pleaded not guilty to murder and possession of an offensive weapon.
The trial at the Old Bailey continues.
