A TEENAGER was jailed yesterday (19) phone data and CCTV footage linked him with a fatal stabbing.
Elijah Gookol-Mely, 18, of Shepherds Bush, was sentenced at the Old Bailey to life imprisonment having previously been found guilty of the murder and robbery of 17-year-old Victor Lee, from North Acton.
He will serve a minimum term of 20 years.
Detectives have praised Victor’s family, who had to sit through a trial listening to the details of his murder.
They had previously described him as shy, introspective, easily manipulated and at risk of being exploited by others.
Victor’s mother said today: “Victor lives on in my heart, and in the hearts of those who love him.”
Victor was stabbed near the Grand Union Canal in Scrubs Lane and pushed into the canal. Despite local people quickly rescuing him from the water and emergency treatment by police and ambulance staff, he died at the scene.
The Met’s investigation linked Gookol-Mely to the murder through analysis of mobile phones, as well as CCTV from the area.
A knife was recovered from his home, where Victor’s blood and the defendant’s DNA was found.
Det Chief Insp Brian Howie said: “Victor was a 17-year-old young man who was not directly involved with gangs or criminality.
“He had his life ahead of him and his family have been torn apart by what happened to him, in the most shocking, brutal and disturbing circumstances.”
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