Murdered for ticking off gang of yobs

Stevens Nyembo-Ya-Muteba, 40, went out to investigate a noise last night in an area of Hackney plagued by gangs.

It is understood he was confronted by about 12 youths who neighbours said had been smoking cannabis in the stairwell of the modern, low-rise block.

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He was attacked and knifed several times by one or more of the gang at about 10pm after asking them to "keep the noise down" because he had to go to work early today.

His wife is understood to have returned home later and found her home cordoned off. A friend who comforted her said: "She was just crying her eyes out. Crying and crying, she can't understand how or why this has happened."

Minutes before the attack Mr Nyembo-Ya-Muteba, described as a committed Christian, had walked a friend to a bus stop because of the street crime in the area.

The couple's daughters are aged seven and four. Friends said he was in his third year at university studying mathematics after escaping war-torn Congo. His wife was also thought to be a student.

In August Peter Woodhams, 22, was shot dead after confronting youths near his home in Canning Town.

The latest attack raises fresh concerns over the yobbery and anti-social behaviour plaguing in parts of London.

The stabbing of Mr Nyembo-Ya-Muteba took place shortly in Evergreen Square yards from Tony Blair's former London home in Mapledene Road before he moved to Islington.

A resident found Mr Nyembo-Ya-Muteba bleeding heavily on the staircase and called an ambulance.

Neighbour Stephen Morris, who lives two floors below the victim, said he had seen him just a few minutes before he was attacked. Mr Morris said: "He was such a nice man, very, very placid. He would never pick a fight or do anything to hurt anybody. He always used to call me dad and I used to call him son.

"I saw him around ten o'clock last night getting in a car with another black friend.

"There were a bunch of kids sitting on the stairwell, well when I say kids I mean about 18 years old, all smoking wacky baccy like they always do around here."

Another resident said police officers had urged her to stay inside this morning but she had been determined to take her two children to school.

She said: "I couldn't believe it when I saw the stairwell, there was all this blood, I was told not to touch the banisters and police had to carry my children down the stairs."

A church friend of the family told how he saw Mr Nyembo-Ya-Muteba wife Bijoux earlier this morning.

He said "She was just crying her eyes out. Crying and crying, she can't understand how or why this has happened. She said she came home late last night and couldn't get past the police tape. She called his mobile and there was no answer, called the land line and there was no answer."

One resident of Evergreen Square said she would never dare to confront the youths and refused to give any details about herself for fear of reprisals. She said: "Teenage yobs do hang around, making noise and misbehaving." Police said four people had been arrested, two aged 16, the others aged 15 and 17. Police have not found a murder weapon and urged members of the group of youths to come forward so they could be ruled out.