Devastated father of capital’s latest stabbing victim pleads with PM: Bloodshed must stop

THE grieving father of the latest victim of London’s murder epidemic has pleaded with Theresa May: “This bloodshed must stop.”

Dele Ogunsola yesterday called for urgent action by the Government, including more stop and searches, to halt the wave of gun and knife killings in the capital.

Stop and search operations were curbed by Mrs May in 2014 for fear of alienating the black community.

Mr Ogunsola, 55, spoke just hours after his 18-year-old son, Israel, bled to death in the street a few hundred yards from the family’s east London home.

The heartbroken father said: “London’s streets are so dangerous. Young people are being slaughtered every day.

“If it means bringing back more stop and search, then so be it.

“We have to tackle this problem and the Government needs to do more.”

He added: “My son was a well brought up boy who respected everyone and was liked by all.

“He was thoughtful and joyous and had lots of friends.

“He went out on his bicycle and never came back.”

Israel – known as Izzy – became the 55th murder victim in the capital this year when he was stabbed in Hackney, east London, around 8pm on Wednesday. Police rushed to the scene and were helped by an off-duty paramedic.

A witness, who declined to be named, said: “The policewoman’s arms were literally covered in blood, you could see she had been trying to fight for this man’s life.”

Police later arrested two 17-yearold boys on suspicion of murder.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the rising number of murders was “heartbreaking”.

He also criticised government cuts to the policing budget.

Israel was a Facebook friend of youth worker Tanesha Melbourne, 17, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Tottenham, north London, on Monday night.

A gifted footballer, Israel once had a trial for Arsenal and was studying computer programming.

His father said: “He was on his own as far as I know, maybe it was a robbery, the police have not told me. “We are struggling. “He has an older brother and sister, he was the baby of the house. We are all heartbroken.”

A neighbour said: “He was a really good guy. It always happens to the good ones.

“I’ve got five teenagers sitting at home asking me, ‘What are we going to do now?’ And I don’t know what to say to them.”