Two youths jailed for 18 years each for murder of Chingford teenager
17-year-old Chima Osuji was left with fatal stab wounds last April
Last updated 23rd Mar 2024
Two teenagers who fatally stabbed a 17 year old last April have been jailed for 18 years each for his murder.
Chima Osuji was found collapsed on a pavement in Longshaw Road in Chingford after suffering stab injuries at around 9pm on April 10.
He passed away at the scene.
Police traced two suspects using CCTV, with the help of another teen who was with Chima at the time of the attack but fled unharmed..
A sword which was recovered at the scene had a fingerprint from one of the attackers on it.
Both teenagers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were arrested a few days after the attack and both were found guilty of murder following a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith, from the Met’s homicide team, said: “By methodically unpicking the events leading up to the attack on Chima, we could establish both teenagers conspired to carry out this cowardly assault.
“After spending the evening together, they took a minicab to Longshaw Road in Chingford and lay in wait armed with knives, using parked vans as cover, before ambushing an unsuspecting Chima.
“Within seconds, the pair had fled to the waiting cab and left the scene, leaving Chima dying on the pavement. The driver recalls the pair in jubilant mood – a sickening comparison to the devastating scene they had left behind.
“Neither of them has ever admitted why they carried out this attack. From the evidence gathered it is clear this was not a chance encounter but a planned act of violence that had catastrophic consequences.”