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Two years for killing friend in 'playfight'
Rashid Razaq18.02.09
A TEENAGER who killed his 14-year-old friend in a "playfight" with knives was today sentenced to two years in a young offender institution.
Youssif Drissi, 16, stabbed Amro Elbadawy in the neck after a scuffle turned violent. The Old Bailey heard today how they had been riding their bikes on the Queens Park Estate in Kilburn on 27 March last year.
Prosecutor Gibson Grenfell QC said: "One young witness said there was play fighting between the two in the course of which the defendant pulled out a small kitchen knife and stabbed Amro in the leg as a joke."
Amro was seen running home as Drissi shouted "You are weak".
The victim then returned with at least one more knife, telling Drissi "I'm not joking around" before chasing him down the road. Mr Grenfell said: "After a short distance Amro caught up with him and the defendant stabbed him once in the neck." Amro collapsed with a wound that passed through a major artery and punctured the right lung. Drissi surrendered at a police station that night.
The court heard how both were students at Paddington Academy in Maida Vale, but Amro, who belonged to the SD Crew gang, had been temporarily excluded over an assault.
Drissi had nine GCSEs, was hailed as a "gifted" drama student and wanted to study law. He was originally charged with murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter last month.
Reader views (4)
i was amro's friend and at the end of the day how we see it what happend was a true mistake but amro should have just left it but the streets are like this rest in peace amro truely loved by us and will always be missed i know what you would have said mozart all day SD for life and SD is just a group of friends who live in the same area it aint no violent thing rest in peace fam xxx it was a year last friday
- Zart, london
Deport them and their parents they can play where they came from.
- Frederick, London
Sorry, let me get this right.
A 16 year old boy, killed a boy of 14, by stabbing him twice. But because the killer is a "gifted" drama student he only gets two years for attacking and killing a boy rather younger than himself.
I'm quite gifted at a lot of things. I've got a degree and everything. I have a short list of people who have harmed me in recent years including unprovoked assault about which the police did nothing.
So, how many of my attackers is it OK for me to kill at two years a go?
- Thalia, london UK
Playfight! yeah - sure. Like we all have a knife in our hands when we are hanging with our mates
- Keith Price, Luton, England
