A teenager from London has been sentenced to 11 years for manslaughter following a fatal knife assault in Dartford
Chris Enaruba stabbed 18-year-old Denzel Njemo during a disturbance in the town centre.
Enaruba and an associate had travelled to Dartford to meet the victim in the evening of 14 April 2023. This led to an altercation in the High Street, where Enaruba lunged at Mr Njemo with a knife, inflicting an injury to his leg. A fight followed and shortly after Enaruba stabbed the victim again, this time in the chest.
Police and medical crews attended but Mr Njemo died at the scene. Prior to the attendance of patrols, Enaruba discarded his jacket and the knife near to an electricity sub-station. He then went to Darenth Valley Hospital for treatment to injuries he had suffered during the incident.
An investigation by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate located both the discarded jacket and knife, and on 15 April Enaruba and his associate were arrested in Gillingham. Enaruba, 19, of Copper Mead Close, Cricklewood was charged with murder.
He denied the charge and a trial was held at Maidstone Crown Court. A jury found Enaruba not guilty and convicted him instead of manslaughter. The 19-year-old man who had travelled to Dartford with Enaruba was found not guilty of a charge of assisting an offender.
Enaruba was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court, on Monday 29 January 2024. He was deemed by the judge as ‘dangerous’ and jailed for 11 years. Enaruba will have to serve two thirds of the sentence before he can be considered for parole, and upon his release from prison will be subject to an additional licence period of four years.
Senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Ross Gurden, said: ‘Enaruba travelled into Dartford armed with a knife and he had little hesitation in using what proved to be a deadly weapon. Ultimately Enaruba’s actions have cut short a young life and devastated an entire family. This senseless act has left a family in mourning and having to come to terms with the needless loss of a much-loved son and brother. Today’s sentencing will hopefully at least offer some comfort to Mr Njemo’s parents and his wider family, in the sense that they feel that some justice has been gained.’
