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Boy, 15, jailed for 'pure evil' murder of Quamari Serunkuma-Barnes Boy, 15, jailed for ‘pure evil’ murder of Quamari Serunkuma-Barnes
(about 3 hours later)
A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to at least 14 years in prison for stabbing a teenager to death outside his school gates in an act described as “pure evil”. The parents of a boy who was stabbed to death outside his school gates have called for “adult sentences” for teenage murderers to deter young people from carrying knives.
The boy wore a mask and waited for Quamari Serunkuma-Barnes, 15, outside Capital City academy in Willesden, north-west London. Lillian Serunkuma and Paul Barnes spoke as a 15-year-old boy was jailed for at least 14 years for the murder of their son Quamari Serunkuma-Barnes.
The attack came shortly before 3.30pm on 23 January, as children left the school, which specialises in sports and the arts, a court heard. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, wore a mask and waited for Quamari, 15, outside Capital City academy in Willesden, north-west London, before attacking him with a large kitchen knife on 23 January.
When he saw “happy and hardworking” GCSE student Quamari, the boy chased him armed with a large kitchen knife. Quamari ran for his life, shouting for help and saying he was going to be stabbed, but the defendant caught up with him by the school gates and stabbed Quamari three times. Barnes said: “The reason I wanted it a bit longer was just to deter these kids from picking up a knife and using it on another boy. Half the time these boys have arguments and usually it’s something trivial.”
The victim was taken to hospital where he told a nurse who had attacked him before he died from his injuries. With stiffer sentences, young people would think “it’s not worth it, let’s have a water fight instead”, he said.
Despite wearing a mask, witnesses recognised the killer and he was arrested the next day. The boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was found guilty of murder after a trial at the Old Bailey. “As far as I’m concerned, if you are doing an adult crime you deserve an adult sentence. You hear: ‘He’s a kid, he’s a kid’. You have murdered someone. If you do that, in my eyes you are not acting like a kid.”
The trial heard the motive for the attack was unknown. But since his conviction, the defendant has admitted for the first time he carried out the attack and he knew it was Quamari. Serunkuma described her son as a “lovely boy, very warm, very loving, very funny,” and said he had nothing to do with gangs. She said he was hard-working and had aimed to get top marks in his GCSEs.
Of the killer, she said: “This was a young boy who took it upon himself to take a knife to do damage to someone. That’s his action. It was not a gang-related decision.”
The defendant admitted his guilt after his conviction at the Old Bailey. Serunkuma said: “I appreciate he’s done it but it is a little too late. We had to go through hell. To say that at the last minute, personally, I’m not having it. He could have said that on January 24.”
The attack on Quamari happened shortly before 3.30pm on 23 January as children left the school, which specialises in sports and the arts.
Quamari ran for his life, shouting for help and saying he was going to be stabbed, but the defendant caught up with him by the school gates and stabbed Quamari three times, the court heard.
The victim was taken to hospital where he told a nurse who had attacked him before he died from his injuries. Despite the killer wearing a mask, witnesses recognised him and he was arrested the next day.
Sally O’Neill QC, prosecuting, said: “It is not accepted that Quamari was anything to do with any sort of gang. Information from the school painted a picture of a happy, hardworking, well-liked and sociable boy.”Sally O’Neill QC, prosecuting, said: “It is not accepted that Quamari was anything to do with any sort of gang. Information from the school painted a picture of a happy, hardworking, well-liked and sociable boy.”
Quamari’s mother described the killer’s actions as “pure evil” in a statement read in court. In a statement read in court, Serunkuma described the killer’s actions as “pure evil”. She wrote: “You never gave Quamari a second chance to defend himself. You took his life in a cold and malicious way.”
Lillian Serunkuma wrote: “You never gave Quamari a second chance to defend himself. You took his life in a cold and malicious way.” The court heard that the defendant had a string of convictions, including for punching a girl.
She said her son had a fun-loving spirit and his life was stolen for no reason. Quamari loved school and what the youth did was “indefensible”, she said.
The court heard the defendant had a string of convictions, including for punching a girl.
In a statement expressing remorse, he said: “I want to say that I’m sorry for what I did. I don’t know why I did it. I was scared and confused. I’m telling the truth for Quamari’s mum and dad. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean Quamari to get so hurt.In a statement expressing remorse, he said: “I want to say that I’m sorry for what I did. I don’t know why I did it. I was scared and confused. I’m telling the truth for Quamari’s mum and dad. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean Quamari to get so hurt.
“I’m not a murderer. I’m not a wasteman. I didn’t want him to die. I want to have a different life but I don’t know how. I’m trying.”“I’m not a murderer. I’m not a wasteman. I didn’t want him to die. I want to have a different life but I don’t know how. I’m trying.”
Judge John Bevan QC said it was “infinitely depressing” to sentence a young person for such a serious crime. The fact the defendant had finally admitted his guilt would be a comfort to Quamari’s parents, he said. The judge, John Bevan QC, said it was “infinitely depressing” to sentence a young person for such a serious crime. The fact the defendant had finally admitted his guilt would be a comfort to Quamari’s parents, he said.
“It is very unusual to admit a murder after conviction. It is a mature decision rather than taking your chances in the court of appeal,” Bevan said.“It is very unusual to admit a murder after conviction. It is a mature decision rather than taking your chances in the court of appeal,” Bevan said.
Sentencing the boy, he said: “This is a bad case of its kind because Quamari can have done nothing to merit an attack of this severity. Sentencing the boy, he said: “This is a bad case of its kind because Quamari can have done nothing to merit an attack of this severity. His death was a product of a total lack of self-control combined with the cowardice of knifing an unarmed victim.”
“His death was a product of a total lack of self-control combined with the cowardice of knifing an unarmed victim.”
Quamari’s father, Paul Barnes, wept in court as the boy was sentenced. Outside court, he said he was happy with the sentence, although it would not bring his son back. He said he had been hoping for a longer term to “deter the kids”.
On the defendant’s admission of guilt, Barnes said: “I think he was just grabbing at straws, trying to save his own skin. Last-ditch dot com – trying to save his own bacon.”