Teen stabs classmate to death at London ‘Knife Crime Awareness’ class

An 18-year-old who stabbed his classmate to death at a Knife Crime Awareness course has been jailed for life in London.

Vladimir Nachev attacked Hakim Sillah with a 25cm-long knife during their court-imposed programme for minors with previous weapons-related offences.

Nachev arrived at the class with a concealed Rambo-style knife and attacked Sillah in front of their classmates, killing him.

In court, he tried to claim his attack was in self-defence but the court heard he had attacked Sillah previously with a knife and had sent him abusive and threatening messages.

Murder Squad detectives found messages on Nachev’s mobile phone sent to a friend shortly after Sillah was fatally stabbed: “I’m going jail … I cheffed [stabbed] up hakz again inside yot,” Nachev had texted.

The court was told that just days before the class, Nachev searched online for hunting knives, zombie knives, and samurai swords.

Detective Chief Inspector Vicky Tunstall, of the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Command, said that both Nachev and Hakim had turned up with a concealed knife. Of Hakim she said, “He was a highly dangerous individual, who was intent on carrying out a violent attack.”

Judge Pushpinder Saini told Nachev when sentencing him to life with a minimum of 18 years, “The cruel irony of the fact you took with you, and used, this weapon on a course which was intended to give you an awareness of weapons hardly needs stating.”

Sillah’s mother said her son’s stabbing is a painful reminder of the knife-crime epidemic that is ravaging British youth.

Social media commenters noted ironically that it was good to see that Britain’s much-touted gun control laws are keeping UK streets safe.