Deadly teenager Gookol-Mely jailed 20 years in London after fatal stabbing

A teenager, Elijah Gookol-Mely has been jailed for life after analysis of phone data and CCTV footage linked him with a fatal stabbing in London.

Gookol-Mely, 18 was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 19 July to life imprisonment having previously been found guilty of the murder and robbery of 17-year-old Victor Lee.

According to the Met Police he would serve a minimum term of 20 years.

The police said 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 in June 2023, her whole life immediately changed, the very meaning of life was shaken as there was only emptiness and darkness around her.

She said Victor was a child of love, loved by many people who valued him, adding “Victor lives on in my heart, and in the hearts of those who love him.”

Victor’s father, said the death of his son was like a festering wound that one tried to keep clean but would not heal.

“We will never have him back, be able to have a discussion about family or life or the world. We will never be able to celebrate his future achievements and life moments, nor will we have closure.

“I do not believe we have been served by the court system or had justice for the killing of our son Victor. We will have to live with that for the rest of our lives,” he said.

Victor’s sister added that her only brother played an integral role in shaping her childhood, serving not only as a sibling but as a best friend.

She said “Our shared memories, from playful adventures on holiday to heartfelt conversations, are now my cherished memories that I rely on in his absence; memories I thought we could bond over once we grow old and our parents pass away.

“The once lively atmosphere of our home has been replaced by an eerie silence. Of course, there was typical sibling rivalry but in my darkest days, Victor was always there to accompany, console and support me which is something I deeply miss, particularly as I face the future without him. I go to bed at night thinking about Victor’s last moments and what he must have felt, cold and alone, deep in that canal with unimaginable pain all over his body.”

The police said at around 17:30hrs on 25 June 2023, Victor, who was from North Acton, was stabbed near to the Grand Union Canal in Scrubs Lane, W10 and pushed into the canal.

They said despite local people quickly rescuing him from the water and emergency treatment by police officers and ambulance colleagues, he died at the scene.

The Met’s investigation linked Gookol-Mely to the murder through extensive analysis of mobile phones and the associated data, as well as CCTV from the area around the crime scene, accounts from witnesses and forensic evidence obtained from the scene and from Victor’s stolen bag discarded nearby.

The police said a knife was recovered from Gookol-Mely’s home, on which Victor’s blood and the defendant’s DNA was found.

The police added that detectives established that robbery was the motive for the brutal attack with Gookol-Mely stealing Victor’s bike and his rucksack, which officers believed contained a number of knives.

Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, the senior investigating officer who led the investigation, said Victor was a 17-year-old young man who was not directly involved with gangs or criminality.

He said he had his life ahead of him and his family had been torn apart by what happened to him, in the most shocking, brutal and disturbing circumstances.

According to him, during the trial, Victor’s family listened to deeply traumatising evidence of the violent acts committed against him.

Howie said no sentence could ever bring Victor back or compensate for the loss of a son, brother and friend, but that he and his team were glad to see that the term handed down today meant that Elijah Gookol-Mely would spend 20 years in prison, where he could not destroy another family.