The family of a 15-year-old machete murder victim has accused the Government of "silence" and "inaction" as his killers were sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Daejaun Campbell was fatally stabbed in Woolwich, south-east London, on September 22 last year after crying out "I'm 15, don't let me die" during the attack.
His friend Kelyan Bokassa, 14, was also murdered by machete-wielding attackers just months later in January. The aspiring rapper, nicknamed Grippa, had featured in a YouTube video titled "Gotta Eat" where he was seen crouching beside a floral tribute to Daejaun.
Both killings have been linked to street gang culture, with Daejaun described as being exploited and groomed by older youths. The boys' murders, though not directly related, bore striking similarities and resulted in pleas by their families to end the "senseless killings".
Killers sentenced to decades in prison
Imri Doue, 18, from Woolwich, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years for Daejaun's murder and possession of a machete. His co-accused Marko Balaz, 19, from Abbey Wood, received 11 years for manslaughter and drugs offences.
Speaking outside court, Daejaun's mother Joelle Taylor said: "Justice hasn't been served - it will never be." She condemned her son's killers as "pathetic cowards" and said Daejaun was repeatedly let down by the system meant to protect him.
Daejaun was a "true character" who was playful and cheeky and planning a "new start" just before he was killed, she said. In a powerful statement, family spokesperson Shalina Brown directly challenged the country's leaders including Sir Keir Starmer, Sir Sadiq Khan and David Lammy.
Government accused of abandoning families
She said: "You talk about unity while your inaction tears families apart. You issue condolences, then return to comfort. We live with the aftermath. Your words build nothing. Your silence buries everything."
Brown said "the system" had not failed but "abandoned us". She added: "Until it learns to protect the innocent before it comforts the guilty, more mothers will stand where I stand, and more names like Daejaun's will be carved into stone long before their time."
"Those who choose violence are given chances. Those who choose love are given graves," she said.
Gang check attack left teenager dying in street
The court heard Daejaun was targeted for a "gang check" when spotted near a house the defendants were visiting. As he was attacked, he screamed for help and threw a large knife which hit a metal fence and broke apart.
Daejaun fell to his knees having suffered two stab wounds and six superficial cuts. Video evidence showed Doue dropping his machete and leaning down to pick it up as he fled the scene.
Judge Sarah Munro KC said Daejaun had been "sucked in" to a life where carrying knives was the "norm", and the defendants took away his chance to escape criminal behaviour. She told the court: "As she rightly says, enough young lives have been lost already."
Both defendants had knife crime history
Both defendants had previous convictions for knife offences. Doue had been convicted of carrying a kukri-style knife in 2021 and having a machete and affray relating to a fight in October 2023 in which a male suffered a cut to his face and a stab wound.
Balaz had previous convictions for carrying knives and possession of cannabis. The motive for the killing remained unclear, though jurors heard Daejaun was carrying money and drugs, possibly crack cocaine.
Kelyan's mother Marie Bokassa had previously appealed for authorities to do more to stop the violence, saying: "Our streets are bleeding." Two 16-year-old youths were detained for at least 15 years and ten months after pleading guilty to Kelyan's murder at the Old Bailey earlier this year.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
