18-year-old victims of London’s knife crime epidemic

Teenagers die within hours of each other as toll hits double the number for whole of 2016

THESE are the faces of the latest teenage victims of London’s knife crime epidemic, who died within hours of each other in hospital.

Jason Isaacs and Kacem Mokrane, both 18, were victims of separate suspected gang attacks near their homes in west and east London.

Mr Isaacs, a student, died yesterday after three days in a coma following an assault by moped riders close to where he lived in Northolt. Less than 24 hours earlier, talented footballer Mr Mokrane succumbed to his injuries, two days after being stabbed in the stomach in Walthamstow.

They are the 23rd and 24th teenagers to be violently killed in London this year, 18 of whom were stabbed. The number of teenagers killed in the capital is now double the figure of 12 for the whole of last year.

In another day of bloodshed yesterday, a 20-year-old man was in hospital after being stabbed and shot in the face and stomach in Wood Green, and a man of 24 was fighting for life following a stabbing in a fight in Thornton Heath. There were also knifings in West Norwood and Hounslow.

Today the families of the latest victims spoke of their devastation and appealed for an end to the violence. Mr Mokrane’s grandmother Marlene Sutton pleaded: “We don’t want others to go through what we have.”

Mr Isaacs was ambushed by a gang on two scooters and stabbed multiple times in what police described as a “pre-planned attack” at 10.30pm on Saturday in Newnham Close — the same street where Mr Isaacs’s close friend Abdullahi Tarabi, 19, was stabbed to death in April.

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested and bailed pending further inquiries. Speaking through tears, Mr Isaac’s mother Sharon Kendall said: “He died in the exact same spot his good friend was killed. He was a kid and deserved to grow up to be a man.” She said he had been working as a labourer while studying for an apprenticeship: “He was such a hard worker. He had so many friends visit him in hospital. I had no idea he was so popular.

“Knife crime is not going to stop. It’s going to get worse, sadly, and there will be another grieving mother feeling my pain.”

Mr Isaac’s father Steven announced his son had died in a Facebook post, writing: “We all love you so much, thanks for being a great son, brother, cousin and friend to everyone. You made us all so proud. Love you like the big blue sky.”

Mr Mokrane, a former player for Leyton Orient FC’s Centre of Excellence you t h p ro g r a mme , w a s attacked in Mount Pleasant Road after leaving a family dinner at about 11.15pm on Thursday. He was placed in an induced coma but died on Monday.

His grandmother said: “We were there by his side. Everyone is devastated. His mother can’t come out of the bedroom. His brother’s locked himself in his bedroom.”

She told how just before he died “he had ordered takeaway pizza for everybody then went out the door whistling with his slice of pizza. Ten minutes later he had been stabbed.”

Detectives are appealing for witnesses to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.