Trial Begins Over Boxing Day Stabbing Of Seydou Diarrassouba

Oxford Street Stabbing Trial Begins

A teenager was stabbed to death in the middle of Britain's busiest shopping street during the Boxing Day sales, a court heard on Tuesday.

Seydou Diarrassouba, 18, was knifed twice in the chest so quickly that no one realised what had happened.

He had been stabbed through the heart with such force that the knife broke into two at the hilt, prosecutor Mark Heywood QC told the Old Bailey.

Seydou, 18, was stabbed outside Foot Locker on Oxford Street last Boxing Day

One of the two accused of killing Mr Diarassouba, Jermaine Joseph, allegedly spotted and chased Mr Diarrassouba back into the Foot Locker store on Oxord Street in London from where he had just bought shoes, along with co-accused Thulani Khumalo.

Mr Diarrassouba then staggered out of the packed shop and collapsed on the pavement, where he died.

Mr Haywood added: "This case concerns gang violence in the street."

Diarrassouba died on the street before he could receive medical attention

It involved "bad blood" between Mr Diarrassouba and his association and the accused and his friends.

He added: "The grievance was evidently a deep and powerful one.

"It led almost instantly to ugly, brutish violence in broad daylight in a packed street on the busiest shopping day of the year.

"You may think that was one of the days and places people could go in peace."

Jermaine Joseph, 23, from Tottenham, and Thulani Khumalo, 20, from Finsbury Park, both north London, deny murder on 26 December last year.

Joseph told police he acted in self-defence and Khumalo denied involvement in the stabbing.

The trial continues.

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