A 17-year-old boy has been jailed for life with a minimum of 19 years behind bars, after he admitted to stabbing a "happy and smiling" boy to death in the street.
Marques Walker knifed defenceless Jermaine Cools to death with a sword after a fight broke out near West Croydon railway station, in south London, on November 18, 2021.
Judge Sarah Munro KC said: "Jermaine Cools was only 14 when you killed him. He was the youngest victim of London knife crime in 2021 ... nothing seems to deter the likes of you from going into the streets, armed with weapons.
"In the words of your own counsel, this was an appalling act of senseless violence.
"The impact of Jermaine's violent and needless death is immeasurable."
She said Walker had a large machete hidden under his clothing on the night of the killing, when him and his group, who she said were clearly "geared up" for violence, came to blows against Jermaine's own.
Another friend of Walker's also brought a knife with him, and during the scuffle one of Jermaine's brothers disarmed him.
Walker stabbed Jermaine "mercilessly" seven times and "intended to kill" his victim.
Jermaine's father described his lost youngest son as "everything to us ... a humble child with a lot of dreams. Now we are nothing, wanting to die, to be with Jermaine."
His mother said that since his death the family had "ceased living, and just existed" and she had been left an "empty shell".
Walker was said to have stabbed him "mercilessly" when he was on the ground as Jermaine tried to avoid the blows to his chest, abdomen and shoulder.
Two of Jermaine's seven wounds were said to have been capable of killing him.
Officers were initially called to reports of a fight around 6.41pm but found no suspects or witnesses at the scene.
But then, around 7.10pm they were called to a nearby hospital where a teenager had walked in with stab wounds.
Jermaine sadly died in the hospital, despite the best efforts of medics.
After laying low for almost three hours, Walker taxied home to his mother's house and stayed their overnight before running away the next day in an attempt to not be caught.
Walker, 16 at the time of the stabbing, eventually pleaded guilty to murder, having previously admitted possessing a knife in Croydon on the same date before being sentenced by Judge Sarah Munro KC today.
Speaking previously, Detective Chief Inspector Richard Vandenbergh from Specialist Crime who led the probe into the killing said: “Jermaine’s family have been left devastated by his murder.”
Police added that an autopsy confirmed he died from multiple stab wounds in the attack described as one of "extreme ferocity".
Lorraine Dudek, Jermaine's mum, previously told MyLondon: "For a 14-year-old he was like the head of our family. He was so grown up. He was always happy and always smiling, just your average 14-year-old."
The crime marked the 27th fatal stabbing in the capital of that year - the worst since 2017 - with Jermaine the youngest to be killed.
Jermaine's family previously visited the place where he was stabbed to lay flowers, and the teen's loved ones could be seen crying and hugging one another as they left tributes.
During the initial stages of the trial, a reporting restriction order prevented Walker being named.
Today his sentencing was filmed and televised, in a legal first for a case involving a youth defendant and a young knife crime victim.
CCTV shown at the trial reportedly shows Walker walking towards the fight and drawing a large knife from his coat before viciously stabbing Jermaine, who later only made it to hospital because a member of the public drove him there.
After the incident, Walker, from Bromley, Kent, had left his home and spent six weeks on the run, before on December 27, 2021, he was found by chance hiding behind a bed.
At first he gave a false name before eventually telling officers his real name on the way to the station. He did not answer police questions in interview.
During a later incident in prison when they planned and executed a "revenge attack" on a fellow inmate, he was heard to shout, "that's what snitches get" as they inflicted life-threatening injuries on him.
The court heard how Walker became embroiled in county lines drug dealing at a young age and suffered PTSD following the murder of his father, cousin and friends.
Recently, the judge said he had shown some regret of what he did but described him as a real threat to the public who lacked remorse.
The judge finished by saying: "You will only ever be released if the parole board consider that you no longer pose a risk of harm to the public."
