Teen Faces Trial Over Fatal Stabbing and Earlier Attack in London
Ali Baygören, 17, was fatally stabbed outside his Tottenham home in June 2022. His death sparked a massive protest, with over 2,500 people marching through London to demand action on knife crime.
Repeat Offender on Trial at Old Bailey
A 16-year-old boy, whose identity is protected, stands trial at the Old Bailey for Ali’s murder. He is also charged with stabbing a 14-year-old boy in a separate violent incident in August 2021.
At the time of the earlier stabbing, the defendant was just 14 and living in a care home. The court heard he got into a row with another 14-year-old over a missing lighter.
Knife Attack in Concrete Stairwell
Prosecutor James Dawes revealed the defendant called the boy a liar and began stabbing him in the leg during the argument, causing bleeding. Suspicious that the boy had “snitched” after talking to staff, the defendant arranged to meet him two days later near Chadwell Heath station.
Jurors were told the meeting turned deadly in a concrete stairwell where the defendant stabbed the boy twice in the chest with a Spiderman-themed knife—once grazing him, the second piercing deep. The defendant then fled, leaving the knife lodged in the victim.
Despite his injuries, the boy managed to stagger outside, gasping, “I can’t breathe, I’m going to die,” while waiting for an ambulance. He later identified the attacker to police, saying, “He tried to kill me.”
The victim survived but suffers major health and psychological trauma.
Charged with Murder and Multiple Knife Offences
The defendant was arrested and bailed after the 2021 stabbing. While still on bail and aged 15, he is accused of stabbing Ali twice in the neck outside his Tottenham home in 2022. Ali was pronounced dead at the scene.
Now 16, the defendant faces charges including:
- Murder
- Intentional wounding
- Theft
- Three counts of possessing a bladed article
The trial is ongoing and expected to last over a month.
