Two 16-year-old boys have been sentenced to a minimum of 15 years and 10 months in prison for the murder of 14-year-old Kelyan Bokassa on a bus in Woolwich, south-east London. The attack, which lasted approximately 14 seconds, saw the teenagers stab Kelyan 27 times with machetes on the route 472 bus on 7 January. The victim, an aspiring rapper, was heard calling out 'I want my mum' as he lay dying.
The Old Bailey heard that Kelyan had boarded the bus just after 2pm to attend an appointment at a youth justice centre. CCTV showed him taking a seat at the back of the top deck, with a knife in his waistband, appearing concerned for his safety. Twenty minutes later, the defendants boarded, each hiding a machete in their clothes. They walked towards Kelyan with purpose and immediately began stabbing him without speaking, smiling as they did so.
Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said Kelyan was cornered and unable to escape, trying in vain to protect himself with his schoolbag. Other passengers fled in panic, hearing intense screaming and the victim shouting for help. The bus driver activated an emergency alarm, and the defendants fled when the bus stopped at Woolwich Ferry. Kelyan stumbled down the aisle, bleeding heavily from a leg wound, and collapsed after saying, 'Take me to my mum's. I want my mum.' He died at the scene at 3.23pm.
In a victim impact statement, Kelyan's mother, Marie Bokassa, said: 'At least my son is at peace, and those two kids are going to have a really tough time. I ask myself what has happened to those two boys that has resulted in that terrible act of violence, and I cannot imagine how can they be so angry.' She added that she had spent her son's 15th birthday at his graveside.
Judge Lucraft KC described the death as a 'senseless loss' of another young life to the 'horrors of knife crime'. The teenagers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to murder and possession of a knife. One of the machetes was thrown into the River Thames but later recovered by police. Samantha Yelland, senior crown prosecutor for CPS London North, said the 'violent attack' left Kelyan with 'little chance of survival'.
