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He was my rock and life, says stab victim's mother
Kiran Randhawa6 Mar 2009
A MOTHER told of her heartache today over the loss of her "devoted son" who was stabbed and battered to death with a hammer by a gang of men.
Jevon Henry, whose killers were convicted this week, was ambushed after venturing onto the "wrong" estate.
The 18-year-old student's murder was the first in a series of killings of teenagers in the capital which sparked a national debate about gun and knife crime. His mother Ann said: "I didn't think life was worth living any more when Jevon died."
After a two-year wait for justice, five men were found guilty on Tuesday of his murder in St John's Wood in January 2007 and will be sentenced next week.
Ms Henry, from Marylebone, said: "It's a nightmare. I didn't know what to do, say or how to live. I just had constant sleepless nights."
She added her eldest son was a "hardworking and caring boy" who was studying to be a car mechanic at North West London College in Willesden, and who worked in a pharmacy four evenings a week and had a paper round.
Ms Henry said: "He was like my rock, my world. Part of me does feel relieved about the verdict because they're going to get punished and I hope they learn from that. But part of me feels like he's gone and no matter what punishment they get, it is not enough because he should be here with me. I don't feel angry any more, I just feel empty and alone."
Ms Henry was at the Old Bailey when Muhid Abdul, 25, and his brother Kamal, 21, and Jubed Miah, 26, and his brother Toufajul, 21, together with Taz Uddin, 22, were all convicted of murder.
Following the attack, the killers fled to Bangladesh before they were tracked down by police and returned to Britain.
Toufajul Miah and the Abdul brothers were selling cannabis and cocaine on the Lisson Green estate in St John's Wood, where they lived. The court heard Mr Henry and his friend David Joseph, 23, became mixed up in selling drugs and had feuded with Toufajul Miah and Muhid Abdul.
On the night of the attack, the five killers lay in wait, before spotting Mr Henry and Mr Joseph walking through a car park on the estate. Mr Joseph fled when he realised that the five were armed but the gang set on Mr Henry "hunting as a pack".
As his accomplices rained blows on the unarmed teenager, Muhid Abdul plunged a knife into his heart. He died in hospital the following day on his 18th birthday.
Ms Henry, who has two younger sons, said: "We were very close - he was a very loving son. If you needed something he would give it to you."
Reader views (4)
What does "mixed up in selling drugs" mean.
- David., Chertsey.UK., 06/03/2009 18:54
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Sorry to disappoint you Tony from Connecticut, but thanks to Britain's feeble justice system, they could well be back on the street in 10 years.
- Kevin Mcgowan, Woodinville, USA, 06/03/2009 18:49
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these criminals deserve life hopefully they will die in prison
- Tony, connecticut usa, 06/03/2009 17:49
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maybe the judges will have have learn,t by now and give out a realistic sentence!!i don,t supose so
- Phelps Robert, bussiere poitevine, 06/03/2009 12:07
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