Le Moor



I agree with 100%

I asked my niece recently, who attends the same school as the deceased Regis boy and another youth murdered this week, why she thought this was all happening.

Interestingly her instinctive answer was something about, "Its the fault of older men who get these boys to do their dirty work for them, like drugs running for example`" which i can only concludeleads to disagreements perhaps.

This surprised me somewhat as i was expecting some kind of different answer.

Le Moor

I do not for one moment disagree that parents should take responsibility for their own children, but I do think we need to be realistic and accept that a certain number of parents will be either unwilling or unable to provide the 'appropriate' level of guidance, support, love, education (and I don't mean school-learnings) etc for their children to minimise the probability of them falling into the 'gun culture' or criminal lifestyle.

This being the case, who is responsible then? In my view, as unfair as it may seem, the whole community has to take some level of responsibility for those youths before they are lost. After all, we can turn our backs on these youths as not our problem, since some of them do in fact have parents, but it could be anyone's child, including those who did 'get it right' who becomes an victim (innocent or otherwise) of the situation the community did not try to take control of. There isn't time to wait for the government to fix things, if indeed they ever can or will.

Happiness wrote:

I am sorry to read about your loss, Happiness. Hope you all gain the courage to carry on through this period with strength and dignity.

Boy, 13, charged with stab murder



Paul was stabbed to death on Friday night

A 13-year-old boy has been charged with murdering Paul Erhahon, who was fatally stabbed near his home in east London.
Paul, aged 14, died in his mother's arms outside the house in Leytonstone, after the attack on Friday night. His 15-year-old friend was also seriously injured in the incident and is in a stable condition in hospital.


Two 14-year-olds arrested in connection with Paul's death remain in police custody. Another suspect, aged 19, has been released on police bail.
The 13-year-old, who is also accused of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm, is due to appear before Waltham Forest Youth Court later on Tuesday.
A post-mortem examination found Paul had died from a stab wound. Police have not recovered the weapon used.


The latest attack follows the killing of at least five other male teenagers in London in the past two months. Paul went on to attend Kingsford Community School - the same school as 15-year-old Adam Regis, the nephew of athlete John Regis, who was stabbed to death last month. Police have said they are not linking the two fatal stabbings.

Ok i'm struggling here really struggling...can someone explain to me how a BOY of 13 can be CHARGED with murdering another boy of the same age....

As a parent and as a man I'm seriously struggling to understand how a 13 year old is running streets with knife...?

What am i missing....

@Happiness: My thoughts go out to you and your family right now. These words are being said far too often. It must be even harder when he has been killed in this mindless way.

Kunjufu wrote: It's a disgrace and I agree with those who say that waiting for the police or government to do anything is a waste of time. The only thing they seem to be able to implement in a matter if minutes is the price of cigarettes and alcohol going up:X.

I can't help but wonder how these youths seem to haveso fewrole models around them that could make them see some form of sense not to commit such crimes against one another. All because of their area code. How mad a time we are in if your postcode is that important to you. What happened to the days of you do me wrong I fight you with my fists and we squash it?!

I don't think it's just the parents who should be looked at for answers to this. Single parenthood does not seem to be the issue here, it is a lack of men in particular to rough these youths up if necessary because right now these actions do not seem to be done by people who are prepared to listen. It's almost like the parents are none the wiser about what is going on on the streets. I fear for the times that I have brought my sons and daughter into.

MAAT: sorry but i don't thing this is an issue of a lack of role models.... It is a straight lack of parenting..I have a 13 year old and she does not go anywhere without my knowledge or consent....

My original point is how in the hell is a 13 year old running streets with knife looking trouble...that is NOT the product of good parenting.... You have can have all the ROLE models you like, but a badly parented child is a badly parented child full stop.... a role model aint gonna change that....

Plus mark my words the idealogy of 'grime', 'gangster rap' & consumerism won't be far behind this story....

Happiness - I am so sorry for your loss. My condolences go out to you and your family.

There are reports in today's paper that your cousin knew his 13yr old killer, i can't imagine how your family must feel.

"If the elders did their duty to the younguns in the first place, there wouldn't be this void, this lack of authority...which leads to young people running around like on some Lord of the Flies bullsh*t."

I agree with this 100%.

My son is 13 this year, a lot of girls i went to school with had children around the same time as me, many are now single parents, not ONE of these 12/13yr olds are in any danger of becoming a murderer anytime soon. I look on many of them as babies, just like I do my own son. They play their games, do their homework, play with their little friends and come in before dark and are all scared witless of taking any phones etc out with them on their own.

Where did these parents go wrong? What has happened in the life ofthat 13yr old, sodifferent to that of my own child, that he canpick up a knife and stab someone to death. I can't fathom it.

What I have noticed is that the government is doing NOTHING about this. Tridentseemsill-equipped to deal with this. Theycandeal with gunmen andfly to Jamaica to learn how to deal with big money drugdealing gangsbut little kids running around the streets ofLondon, armed with knives and no fear are beyond them.

I don't understand why this is becoming more prevalent amongst our youth.

Hearing this makes me tighten the already taut reins on my son, why are the parents of these kids, and the teenyboppers robbing nightclubs in the middle of the night not doing the same? confused3

Happiness,

My condolences for your loss. May Paul walk in peace with the ancestors.

I heard today that he was stabbed on the orders of the 19 year old, which will tie in with what Le Moor said his niece had said.

I also heard that Paul was under a curfew after being stabbed previously....a 7pm curfew. Now, that is a good time for a 14 year old to be getting into his house, not running the streets until 2am.

I just wanted to point out that Paul didn't seem to be running the streets at ungodly hours for a 14 year old. I also feel our youth seem "obliged" to join a gang right now, more so for protection from rival factions than anything else.

For the Americans among us, can I ask if our problem here is reminiscent of the gang problems you had in the 70's/80's? And what did you do to rectify (if anything)?

This is terrible what has been going on people used to think of the UK as a safe place to live but that is really changing now.

Happiness i am very sorry for you and your families loss. I hope that all the perpetrators are found and brought to account for this before the law.

My mother knows the Dosunmu family and she met with Michael many times and she says that he was a ver