Three children on trial for murder of 19-year-old KU stab victim

Three teenagers accused of murdering KU student Hussein Ahmed by dragging him off his bike and stabbing him in the chest will appear in court later this month.

Mr Ahmed, who studied engineering at Kingston, died in hospital after the brutal attack in front of South Harrow tube station on November 18 last year.

The 19-year-old from Edgware, who had two brothers and five sisters, was described by his friends as a “lovely, enthusiastic young man with a smile permanently etched on his face”.

His family remained at his side in hospital for five days, but then allowed doctors to turn off his life-support machine.

Siva Kama, an employee at Kebabish, a takeaway shop by the station, said that he saw more than 20 people gather on the day Mr Ahmed was pronounced dead.

“Many people came down to put flowers on the street corner and take pictures,” he said.

“I’ve known [Mr Ahmed] for a long time. He was a nice guy.”

A 17-year-old boy also suffered a knife laceration to his abdomen, but was treated in hospital and later discharged.

Two boys aged 14 and one boy aged 15, all from northwest London, first appeared in Willesden Youth Court in December.

They were charged with murder, causing grievous bodily harm wounding with intent, attempted wounding with intent, and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.

Shortly after the incident, South Harrow residents voiced concerns on social media regarding the area’s crime rates.

One Facebook user wrote: “Have lived in South Harrow for 45 years and have seen it going steadily downhill year after year.

“That end of the road is almost a no-go area after dark with yobs on street corners, very intimidating.

“The police station is only two minutes away but you never see any police around.”

The owner of a hair salon across from the station said   she felt unsafe walking down the street at night, and that the area was in need of more police patrols.

“I feel like there are less police in this area than there used to be,” she said.

“In the 10 years that I’ve been here I’ve seen more police patrols in other areas.”

Mr Ahmed was the 12th teenager to be stabbed to death on the streets of London last year.

According to a report by the BBC, knife crime in London was at a four-year high last September, and more than 1,700 people under 25 were reported stabbed the previous month.

At the UK knife crime summit in October, Mayor Sadiq Khan said that  these statistics made him “deeply concerned”.

“Every death on the streets of London is an utter tragedy,” he said. “It is time for a new approach.

“We must send a strong message that carrying a knife is completely unacceptable, and is more likely to ruin your life than to save it.”

Appearing at the Old Bailey on February 28, the three teenagers accused of causing Mr Ahmed’s death only spoke to confirm their names and deny their charges.

Judge Rebecca Poulet QC set their joint trial date at the Old Bailey for May 22.