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Surrounded and stabbed as I tried to save brother
Danny Brierley, Evening Standard15.07.08
A man who confronted a violent gang who robbed his younger brother has described how he was repeatedly stabbed in the street.
The gang, with members as young as 14, has been jailed for a total of 46 years.
The Old Bailey heard Faheem Javaid, 20, was knifed four times in the back after confronting the yobs. He was punched, kicked, beaten with a brick and pounded with a motorcycle helmet by members of the Ferrier Boyz - named after the estate where they lived - in the frenzied attack in Kidbrooke.
Gang leader Abdul Yassin-Noor, 20, was jailed for 15 years at the Old Bailey for attempted murder. Alex Ojerinola, Simba Chiuture and Neil Williamson, all 17, and Younatan Frezgi and Trevon Bert, both 15, were jailed for between five and eight years after being variously convicted of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and robbery.
The gang first targeted Mr Javaid's 14-year-old brother after spotting him on a bus on 25 June last year. They robbed him of his pocket money before jumping off to buy a McDonald's meal. The upset schoolboy sent a text message to his older brother who set out to track them down.
Faheem Javaid spotted two at a bus stop and punched Frezgi in the face. But the student was soon outnumbered.
Giving evidence Mr Javaid said: "The next thing I saw was about seven to 10 boys come running towards me. I was extremely scared because I was outnumbered. It all happened so quickly. They were running at speed towards me, jumping over hedges. One of them was carrying a knife. My fear was for my brother. I turned and told him to go home but when I turned back round they were there.
"They all circled around me in a semicircle and the person with the knife unsheathed it and held it in a threatening manner. It looked like an Arab knife with a curved blade. He came towards me swinging the knife and I was trying to dodge it as much as possible."
Mr Javaid said as he tried to retaliate, he lost his balance and fell to the ground and the others pounced. He said: "I felt kicks to my head and my body, everywhere really. Then somebody turned my face away so I couldn't see their faces. I got up to get away and then I felt something in my back. It was so painful. I fell back to the floor and they ran away."
Mr Javaid suffered a 10-centimetre deep wound to his back and slashes to his face. He was given life-saving surgery.
During the trial the gang members claimed they acted in self defence. Sentencing them, Judge Giles Forrester QC said: "I hope young persons may get to hear about this case and may be tempted to take up knives will have in mind the sentences passed in this case, even upon young defendants."
