Nikolay Vandev died at the scene
(Picture: Met Police handout)Two boys who murdered an innocent teenager in the shadow of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he remonstrated with them for carrying knives have been jailed for life.
Ali Tasyurdu, 18, and Huseyin Eren, 16, had armed themselves with fearsome Rambo knives when a social media spat over a girl spilled over into a physical confrontation.
After they had stabbed his friend, Nikolay Petrov Vandev, 19, tried to act as a peacemaker, bravely standing in front of Tasyurdu and Eren with his arms outstretched, asking: “Why on earth have you used knives?”
Tasyurdu, who earlier in the afternoon had been seen sharing a friendly fist-bump with Mr Vandev, threatened to “shank him” before driving the Rambo knife into his chest.
“He was no threat and was clearly still acting in a completely non-confrontational manner – he was a peacemaker,” said Judge John Dodd QC.
“This is yet another case centred on the futile loss of a young, promising life on the streets of London.
“It is the result of you, two adolescents, barely out of childhood, arming yourselves with dangerous weapons - hideous knives - that should have no place on the streets of London, or indeed any civilised society, and certainly not in the hands of young men intent on inflicting harm on others.
“You each engaged in lethal violence for absolutely no reason.”
Judge Dodd agreed to lift reporting restrictions on Eren’s identity in spite of his young age in a bid to deter others from carrying deadly knives.
He added: “If only you and other young men who think it’s clever to take murderous weapons out on to the street would stop and think instead of the wonder of life before going on to destroy it, so much pain would be avoided.”
The murder happened on March 8 last year, close to the Spurs stadium and in a spot in Penshurst Road, Tottenham, where pupils at Haringey Sixth Form college – on its first day back after lockdown – would regularly gather.
The court heard Tasyurdu had fallen out with Mr Vandev’s friend in a social media dispute over a girl, leading to an agreement to meet and fight.
Eren, then 15, arrived at the scene first and hid weapons nearby before he was met by Tasyurdu, then 17. The pair ate takeaway food together as they lay in wait for their intended victim.
When the friend arrived, he was stabbed by both boys and pulled out his own knife to defend himself, managing to get away – injured – over a nearby wall.
Mr Vandev was in the centre of the violent melee, trying to “calm things down”, said the judge.
“You, Ali Tasyurdu, said to him ‘do you think I won’t shank you’ and moments later you did just that.”
He said Eren was “plainly part of the joint criminal enterprise”. He added: “You left Nikolay Vandev to die moments later.”
Eren, then still a schoolboy from Tottenham, and Tasyurdu, of Islington, ditched one of the knives in Tottenham marshes but it was discovered by a dog walker and linked to the stabbings.
Tasyurdu was arrested on the day of the murder after he confessed to a family member that he had stabbed someone.
Eren handed himself in to police two days later after learning he was wanted.
The court heard both killers had no criminal history and came from “decent, supportive families” who were shocked to learn what they had done.
When questioned in custody by a probation officer, Tasyurdu said he would now tell teenagers carrying knives: “Put it down, go to university, and play football.”
Tasyurdu and Eren were both found guilty after a trial of murder and causing grievous bodily harm.
They had both admitted possession of a knife.
Tasyurdu was ordered to serve a minimum of 16 years in prison and Eren was jailed for at least 14 years of his life sentence.
