Two jailed for savage knife attack

James Bascoe-Smith, 17 years old at the time, was riding a bike in Brixton in February last year when a stolen car drove into him. In a grotesque case of mistaken identity, the occupants of the car proceeded to stab him multiple times, believing that he was a member of a rival gang.

The stab wounds he sustained lacerated his liver, ripped through his diaphragm, punctured his lung and ripped his aorta. He suffered such catastrophic injuries that he was effectively dead for 50 minutes, and with little oxygen to his brain and organs, suffered a hypoxic brain injury.

James spent 449 days in hospital on the long, slow path to recovery. While his recovery from such injuries has been nothing short of miraculous, and he continues to make daily improvement, his injuries have fundamentally changed his life.

Leon Rashid, 20 and Taiquane Lewis, 18 were found guilty in September of conspiracy to murder, and at the Old Bailey on 4 November were sentenced to life imprisonment with minimum terms of 14 and 13 years respectively.

Speaking outside the court, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor David Malone said: “The first and last word in this case belongs to James Bascoe-Smith, his mum, Lisa, and their family whose heroism and dignity throughout contrasts starkly with the cowardice of those sentenced here today - gang members who have shown no remorse for their despicable actions.

“James’ determination has been the inspiration behind this painstaking investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service and the successful prosecution by the CPS and counsel. Our diligent cooperation in dealing with this brutal act of gang violence has ensured that justice has been delivered.

“James was a 17-year-old boy, doing no more than innocently test-driving a bicycle for his mum when he was attacked with machetes and zombie knives by masked gang members, effectively dying at the scene. It is testament to the skill, perseverance and empathy of the members of the public, first responders and air ambulance staff that he is here with us today. The courage shown by those members of the public who risked their own safety to assist James, in what might have been his final moments, is remarkable.

Our communities are at the heart of everything we do and without their support we could not possibly bring such dangerous criminals to justice.”

You can read more about James and his determination to rebuild his life at this GoFundMe page.