Boy jailed for life after stabbing Luton teenager to death

A teenage boy has been jailed for life after he was found guilty of stabbing a 19-year-old man to death in Luton.

At Luton Crown Court, judge Michael Simon today (Friday) sentenced a 17-year-old boy from Luton – who cannot be named for legal reasons – to serve at least 19 years in prison for his part in the death of Derrick Kinyua in April.

Mr Kinyua, 19, suffered multiple stab wounds after the attack in Luton town centre. Speaking today, his mother said the “light of our lives was taken from us” as she also called on young people to stand against knife crime.

On the day of the stabbing, police received reports from paramedics that a man had been stabbed and had collapsed at the junction of Hucklesby Way, Hitchin Road and Crescent Road.

Emergency services treated Mr Kinyua at the scene – but he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at hospital. A postmortem revealed that his cause of death was stab wounds to the neck and chest.

A police investigation revealed that four people had confronted him outside an address he was staying at in Crescent Road. Two of the men, including the 17-year-old boy, were filmed on CCTV carrying large knives and lunging at Mr Kinyua, stabbing him several times. Mr Kinyua made it to the main road before collapsing, where he was found.

The 17-year-old was arrested a week after the Major Crime Unit began its murder investigation, but the other attacker armed with a knife is believed to have fled the country hours after the stabbing.

In a statement made after today’s sentencing, Mr Kinyua’s mother said: “On Friday 14 April, the light of our lives was taken from us. Senselessly, with no thought for his family, for his friends or for his future, Derrick's life was cut violently short.

“Today, we welcome the sentence that has been passed to those that stole Derrick from us, but we also wrestle with the thought that someone who was complicit in my son's murder remains free to continue their life without repercussions for their actions.”

And she pleaded with younger people to not carry knives, saying: “I speak from a place I never thought I would, as a mother whose son was stabbed to death. I urge any young person listening to drop the knife. No good will ever come from carrying a knife. You will ruin someone else's lives while wrecking your own too.

“Knife crime is a truly vile and deplorable issue that is robbing young people of their futures. It's destroying families and communities and it must stop.

“On the 12 May, surrounded by hundreds, we celebrated Derrick's life. Our comfort comes from knowing that Derrick was loved, far beyond the love of his immediate family. We know he touched many lives and in that we know that he will live on. We are blessed to have been supported and lifted up by our community and for that we are endlessly grateful.

“To Derrick's friends, many of you were instrumental in honouring his life, even joining us in Kenya to lay him to rest. We thank you and we love you.

“Finally, we thank the Major Crime Unit for their tireless efforts that have brought us what we hope is only the first stage in getting justice for our son, Derrick.”

Earlier this month the 17-year-old was found guilty of murder. Two other men were found not guilty.

The judge used the sentencing hearing as an opportunity to call on communities “to do everything possible” to combat knife crime before it ruins any more lives.

Judge Simon said: “The court calls on all those responsible for the care and education of young people, on local communities and on society at large to do everything possible to promote the message of ‘lives not knives’, before yet more families are devastated by the premature and often brutal death of a loved one or the detention for many years in the prime of their lives of a close family member.”

Detective Inspector Iain MacPherson, of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, who led the investigation, said: “Today’s sentence is another sad but serious reminder of just how drastically lives can change and be impacted by knife crime.

“The ripple effects of stabbings like these are impossible to measure across all our communities, as we see all too often in these tragic and hugely distressing cases.

“It's not just the victim and perpetrator who have now lost their lives to knife crime. Their families have had their lives changed forever, while I have no doubt their friends and wider communities will be facing trauma as the direct result of such mindless and unnecessary violence.

“Our commitment to investigating and stamping out knife crime remains unwavering and unconditional. Anyone who arms themselves with a knife and uses it in such a callous way will be investigated and held to account for their appalling actions.

Detectives used the sentencing to call on another teenage boy they want to speak to about the attack to turn himself in. They said: “There remains a further person we want to speak to about Mr Kinyua’s death. While we are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to trace them, I would implore them for the sake of Mr Kinyua’s family to turn themselves in.”