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Boy, 13, in court for fatal stabbing of teen footballer
Mark Blunden27 May 2009
A 13-year-old schoolboy has been charged with the knife murder of a young footballer.
Jahmal Mason-Blair, 17, who had trials with Spurs and Reading, was stabbed in the neck near his home in Hackney, east London, in the early hours of Saturday. Jahmal was the ninth teenager to be murdered in London this year, and the seventh to be fatally stabbed.
The accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will appear at Redbridge Magistrates' Court today.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “A 13-year-old male youth was today accused of the murder of Jahmal Mason-Blair, aged 17, who was fatally stabbed in Amhurst Road, Hackney, on Saturday May 23rd.
“He will appear in custody at Redbridge Magistrates Court today.”
Friends who paid tribute to Hackney resident Jahmal said he dreamed of becoming a professional footballer and had attended the Tottenham Hotspur development centre for young players.
His half-brother Shaun Mason, 30, said Jahmal's father, Wesley Blair, collapsed when he heard of his son's death and was taken to hospital.
Mr Mason added that their mother, Tetela Rafeal, lives in Florida and is making plans to fly back to the UK after her daughter Maria broke the tragic news.
Family friend Connie Drew described Jahmal as “a great kid”.
She said: “He liked football and you never saw him without a football and he wanted to become a professional footballer.
“That's the worst thing - he had a goal in his life and he was pursuing it and he wanted to make something of himself.
“He was a lovely young boy and never even got into any arguments.”
The teenager's body was found by police on a routine patrol in Amhurst Road, Hackney, early on Saturday morning and he was pronounced dead soon afterwards.
Jahmal's death prompted the father of Damilola Taylor, the 10-year-old who died after being attacked with a broken beer bottle, to repeat his call for the death penalty to be reintroduced.
Richard Taylor, 61, said he was “very, very upset” about the death of the teenager, and he believed reintroducing the death penalty would act as a deterrent.
“If the death penalty was brought back, it would make people think twice. The law should make them aware that if they take a life, it is a life for a life,” he said.
Anybody with information can call police on 020 8345 1570 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
