Teenagers sentenced for roles in fatal stabbing outside Bedford bus station
17-year-old Thomas Taylor died in January
Two teenagers have been sentenced for their roles in the fatal stabbing of another teenager, outside Bedford bus station in January.
19-year-old Bennett Ndenkeh, of Midland Road, Bedford, has been jailed for 22 years, for the murder of 17-year-old Thomas Taylor.
18-year-old Riaz Miah, of Foster Hill Road, Bedford, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for manslaughter in connection with the incident.
Miah was found not guilty of murder after a seven week trial, but was convicted of manslaughter.
Thomas Taylor died after being fatally stabbed on January 8 2025, when a group of teenagers launched an attack on him, and two others, in Greenhill Street.
The incident escalated when Ndenekeh stabbed Thomas with a knife.
During the trial at Luton Crown Court, it was heard how Miah had been assaulted by someone linked to Thomas in the days before the stabbing.
Thomas died shortly after being taken to hospital.
The trial found two other teenagers not guilty of murder, and the jury was unable to reach a verdict on a fifth defendant.
"A brutal and senseless act of violence"
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Stott, who led the investigation for the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, described Thomas's death as "tragic" after Ndenkeh and Miah were found guilty, reflecting on the ripple effect of carrying a knife.
He said: “This was a brutal and senseless act of violence that has ended the life of a young man who had so many years and experiences still in front of him and devasted the lives of those who knew him. Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this time.
“It has also drastically altered the path of the two people found guilty today – who are now facing the prospect of spending many of the prime years of their life behind bars.
“We urge anyone thinking of picking up a weapon – or supporting those who do – to think twice, and Just Drop It to help prevent more lives from being needlessly cut short or forever ruined.”
Tributes were paid to Thomas in statements by his paternal and maternal families.
His paternal family stated:
"As a family, we would like to pay tribute to our little Tom. Regardless of the outcome of today’s sentencing, our loss cannot and will never be healed.
Tom was a very talented, fun-loving young man with the brightest future ahead of him. He enjoyed spending time with friends and family, often winding them up to raise a laugh. Some of his friendships he has held from nursery.
Tom's friends still stop by to visit his grandparents which is a testament of how much of an impact he had on them."
Thomas’s maternal family said:
"Today, as the two attackers responsible for taking Thomas’s life are finally sentenced, we want to speak not about the violence that ended his life — but about the love, light, and laughter that were his life.
"Thomas Taylor was just 17 years old — a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin, a friend — and a young man with a whole future ahead of him. He should have been turning 18 this week, celebrating new beginnings, planning his future, and making more memories with the people who loved him most.
"Though justice has been served in the courtroom, there is no justice that can bring Thomas back. What we have now is love — love that continues, love that remembers, love that refuses to fade.
"We will honour Thomas by keeping his name alive — through the stories we tell, the kindness we show, and the work we do to make sure no other family has to endure the pain that we have.
"Thomas will always be our grandson, our nephew, our brother."