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Omar Burton (left) and Kieran Tonner at the scene of Mr Osawe’s death, where floral tributes were left by family and friends of the teenager |
Calls for tougher laws on knife crime
Top policeman calls for an ‘automatic’ prison sentence for those carrying weapons
ISLINGTON’S senior policeman yesterday (Thursday) called for automatic prison sentences for anyone found carrying a knife, as detectives quizzed bus passengers at the scene of last week’s teen killing in Angel.
Seven days to the hour after 16-year-old Nassirudeen Osawe was fatally stabbed in the chest and his teenage best friend was wounded in Upper Street, police halted buses and interviewed shoppers in search of witnesses.
As their investigations focused on a man who walked away from the stabbing down Duncan Street with his dog, borough commander Bob Carr told the Tribune that tougher sentences were the only way to halt “stubborn” knife crime among youths. He said: “This is clearly a terrible event for the family and everyone involved, but this is also the second stabbing of a teenager in Islington in a six-month period and that is something we are deeply worried about.
“Overall crime is coming down massively and violent crime has fallen 20 per cent but for some reason with youngsters we’re seeing in them still this willingness to use knives.
“I would welcome much more serious sentences around convictions for knife offences – we should be looking to make it a more serious offence with tougher penalties. It’s like drink driving, we don’t wait for somebody to kill somebody before we say that they have committed a serious offence with serious penalties, including imprisonment. The same applies to carrying a knife, you can only be carrying a knife if you intend to use it.”
Police said Nassirudeen Osawe was with two friends at a bus stop when an argument started that ended with him dying on the pavement outside The Mall antique arcade, near the entrance to Camden Passage, at 2.25pm last Thursday.
The killing has perplexed detectives, who have been able to gather evidence from Upper Street’s copious CCTV and from witnesses among the Christmas sales crowd but have not determined any motive.
Yesterday they focused “anniversary” investigations among travellers on the 73, 30, and 348 buses, which all stop at the Upper Street shelter where the incident occurred, as well as shoppers who walked past the growing shrine of flowers and messages to the dead teenager.
The senior officer investigating Mr Osawe’s death, Det Insp Dick Miller, said: “There has been a positive reaction from the public. This lad was only 16 and that has had a clear effect. We are asking anyone who saw anything to call us, and in particular anyone who saw a man walking away from the scene with a dog.”
n A 17-year-old from Enfield who was arrested three days after the stabbing appeared at Thames Youth Court on Wednesday charged with the murder of Mr Osawe and the wounding of his friend, as well as possession of a knife. He is likely to appear at the Old Bailey later this month. |
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