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Olympic star's plea to save his killer brother
Shekhar Bhatia and Paul Cheston24.04.09
They were siblings blessed with prodigious sporting talent - who chose very different paths.
While Germaine Mason aims for gold in London in 2012 having won a silver medal in the high jump at Beijing, his teenage brother Andre is beginning a life sentence for the murder of an innocent student.
Germaine escaped the ghetto to pursue his sporting dream, while Andre fell through the net and into a life of gangland violence.
Andre was still only 14 when he and a pack of youths "hunted" down and murdered Yasin Abdirahman, 22, stabbing him in the head and chest, one of the blows piercing his skull, the knife entering his brain.
Mr Abdirahman, who was studying pharmacy at London Metropolitan University, died of brain injuries eight days after the attack, close to his home in Southall, in September 2007.
His youngest attacker, found guilty of manslaughter, was just 12.
This week, Andre, now aged 16, was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to serve a minimum 13 years behind bars. Germaine, said to be "shocked" and "saddened" by the murder and his brother's part in it, had made a desperate plea to reduce the punishment. He wrote to the judge in the case, Peter Beaumont QC, insisting his brother had acted entirely out of character and appealing for as much clemency as a life sentence with a minimum term could permit. The boys' mother Carol felt she "had lost a son".
How Andre Mason went so badly wrong is a terrible tale of our times. He was born in London but went to live in Jamaica, his mother's birthplace, when he was two months old. Aged 13, he returned to the UK, winning trophies at 100m in junior competitions and with hopes to emulate his brother, who was already winning senior championships. Andre too dreamed of university. But back in London, where he attended Acton High School, he appears to have gone off the rails, lured in by a notorious local gang known as MDP - standing for "Murder Dem Pussies" or "Money, Drugs, Power" - known for its use of knives and guns.
Mr Abdirahman was picked upon either because he was mistaken for a member of a rival gang or else as the randomly chosen victim of an initiation test. In sentencing Mason at the Old Bailey this week, Judge Beaumont warned that the young killer had turned his back on his family.
"You come from a good family but the boy they describe stands oddly with the boy the evidence reveals," he said. "Even after your conviction you continue to regard your co-defendants and members of the MDP as a group of supportive friends."
Germaine, meanwhile, is in Jamaica training with great dedication for the athletics season ahead and with 2012 in his sights.
He fell in love with the high jump at the age of nine and by the age of 17, he was Jamaican champion. In 2002 he first met Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man.
The pair have developed a firm and long standing friendship and it was Bolt who was one of the first to congratulate Germaine on his Olympic silver medal.
A fall-out with coach Stephen Francis and persuasion from his mother led him in 2006 to take up the option offered by his dual nationality and represent Great Britain.
The 26-year-old, a member of the Birmingham-based Birchfield Harriers, still spends winter in warm weather training in Jamaica.
"I feel very British. Britain is my home and that's where it's going to be forever," he has said. "But I also feel at home in Jamaica." In contrast, his brother's home for the next 13 years will be the inside of a jail cell.
Reader views (19)
I know Andre personally. I use to teach him at the Harbour View Primary School. Andre was a wonderful student and I am not just saying that. My eyes are filled with tears because i know for a fact that Andre did not want to live in England, he was not happy about returning. He wanted to stay in jamaica and attend the high school he passed his GSAT exams to go to. Yes he was a good student check the records he passed for Calabar High. One of the top sChools in Jamaica. Sometimes kids are crying out for parents help and we dont even hear. Please forgive him, honestly, Andre was not like this at all.
- Teacher, Jamaica
I dont know y evry one is saying abdirahmin is inocent but you only know one side of the story. So dont jugde. If your child got convictd you would want 2 protect them so dont go on like his mum is in the wrong.
- Kim, West london
Carol felt she "had lost a son". What about the other mother she does not even have to feel that....its a fact.
Besides he should have got 30 years !
- Terry. B, Toulouse, France
If you commit the crime, you should do the time.
- Therealbigman, Brixton
how many times do we read things from the paper and listen to news and they dont get the whole truth. It was okay when his brother won a medal for England but the second something goes wrong, everybody is quick to judge it's his choice and freedom if he wants to support his brother.
- Christobell ,, london
Totally agree with you Alan, London Leena and Elaine - you both need to learn to spell and string a sentence together. Tell me how you would feel if it was your son who was "HUNTED DOWN" and stabbed for NO REASON AT ALL. He got exactly what he deserved
- Barbara, sydney, Australia,
This story is sickening. My family have also been affecting my knife crime with my brother being killed by a single stab wound. An innocent victim killed once again by a group acting with no due care for others apart from themselves.
3 years later and my parents are still being treated for depression...so it is rarely a short term effect on those left behind.
All I do know is that life should mean life. No less.
The fact this man had his family trying to have his time reduced is disgraceful!
- Donna, Birmingham
Life should mean life. I have no sympathy with the athlete
- Keith Price, Luton, England
The boys' mother Carol felt she "had lost a son". How dare she say this?
What about Yasin Abdirahman's family? Did they not ACTUALLY lose a son.
- Bb, London
Just goes to show that not all little angels grow up to be decent members of society.Who in their right mind would follow their so called friends out on the prowl to stab another human being in the head??He's got plenty of time to regret,remorse,rehabilitate and learn a useful trade before he hits the streets again.Let's hope he and others like him understand that there is no life or progress in a gang.It's a flash in the pan thing.When the proverbial hits the fan you are on your own.
- Anthony, North London. UK
You have to live with the decisions you make in life. One brother chose a positive life line, the other did not.
This highlights clearly that your background has very little to do with your lot in life. All these excuses that are provided for these people by the Liberal-Lefties as a defence, just does not wash. Broken homes, poor background, poor education, etc, etc.
Everyone knows the difference between right and wrong. Especially where murder is concerned for gods sake! These scum should swing for their actions.
'If you can't do the time, don't do the crime'.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Appeal against the sentence?????? If he does, I'll appeal it was too lenient. lock the scumbag up for ever.
And if his excusers are anything like Elaine in West london, we will get him locked up for longer. She can't spell, has no grammer and her rambling makes no sense. "he didn't have a knife, he ONLY went to do GBH" so that's alright then? As for the Olympic hero brother, he feels at home in jamaica, good for him, then go to jamaica and let them fund your olympic hopes. We'll give the money to British sportsmen.
- Kerry, Purley
Elaine, I do not understand what the point is you are trying to make!If he was a member of the 'MDP' gang it is of course possible that he is not a scum bag, but highly unlikely!
- Richard Devitt, LONDON
"Germaine escaped the ghetto", would somebody like to explain this mentality to me? I grew up on a council estate, got a job and followed the rules. That was the norm. Terms like ghetto are excuses for certain peoples greed and laziness.
- Mark, London
i think andre is a decent young man is brother did have the right to talk on his behalf..reading about andre the judge say andre armed him selves to cause gbh,he did not say andre have a knife..some of you mother just donot care about these kids once you heard of gang.sorry for the victem family but these kids need justic too....as a member of the public i donot want to belive that the british system of criminaljustic will yield false result,inacurrate result and send and innocent child and other to prison..we donot wont to belive in a system that just want to win,not to secure the truth.the cps would never admit error even at the cost of a family and a child innocent life.once they put away another child...andre mason need the opportiunity to elivate this grave bought by this justic.i wish this little boy all the best of luck with anappeal....
- Leena,London, usa
Good, another one off the streets.
- David, London
Germaine is wrong to appeal to the justices for a lenient sentence, Andre did a terrible deed against an innocent young student in a savage unprovoked vicious act and he should pay the price for that and if Gremaine were a good brother and really cared that is what he should be telling his brother.In fact most people in this country i think would think he did actually get a lenient sentence,personally i think he should never be released, if nothing else that would send a message out to the rest of the sad pathetic people that feel the need to indulge in such mindless acts of violence.
- Kev, London-UK
why u all think this little boy is a killer,the judge peter beaumont make it clair that andre mason did not have a knife,he armed him self with a creat to cause gbh.as a member of the public i think that boy was wrongfulley convicted by the jurry.i think the mother of andre should fought for her son freedom.......
- Elaine, england west london
"Andre was still only 14 when he and a pack of youths "hunted" down and murdered Yasin Abdirahman, 22, stabbing him in the head and chest, one of the blows piercing his skull, the knife entering his brain." this implies that he went out with 'intent'...he got what he deserved with the sentence, actually he shouldn't see the outside of a cell for the rest of his life, as he chose to destroy the lives of others. I'm sick and tired of hearing how these young 'thugs' were 'nice boys' etc, etc...maybe they were...ONCE. He made a decision when he joined that gang to be a 'thug' and he must live with that decision and face the conseguences of his actions.
- Alan, London
