A teenager's been found guilty of Jimmy Mizen's murder
- 00:01:37
- ITN
A teenager's been found guilty of Jimmy Mizen's murder
A 19-year-old youth has been jailed for life for murdering schoolboy Jimmy Mizen. Jake Fahri was told he would serve at least 14-years after being convicted at the Old Bailey where he had denied killing 16-year-old Jimmy in a south London bakery last May. Fahri showed no emotion as he was sentenced, but as he was taken to the cells he called out: "I will be all right, mum, I'll be all right" to his weeping mother in the public gallery. Jimmy's family had earlier burst into tears and hugged each other as the verdict was delivered. The court had heard how Jimmy bled to death after being attacked while buying food at Three Cooks with his brother Tommy a day after his 16th birthday. Fahri threw an oven dish and a shard of glass cut vital blood vessels in Jimmy's neck. The court heard that Fahri had not wanted to lose face after picking a row with Jimmy, who was described by friends as a gentle giant. Jimmy had stood his ground when Fahri had rudely demanded he get out of his way in the shop. His anger grew as Jimmy's brother Harry, 19, suggested he say please. And he exploded with rage when Jimmy, 6ft 2in and 14st, refused to go outside the shop when 5ft 7in Fahri challenged him. He went back in and hit Jimmy with two plastic drinks bottles and was further humiliated when the brothers punched him and all three crashed into a glass cake display, before he was bundled out of the shop. Fuming, Fahri picked up a metal-framed advertising sign and stormed back in after kicking the glass in the door. Poking Jimmy with the sign, Fahri panicked when the schoolboy grabbed hold of it and was about to pull it out of his hands. He grabbed the hot dish containing sausages from the counter and threw it in front of him. The judge, Mr Justice Calvert-Smith said: "A trivial incident over absolutely nothing in a High Street bakery ended three minutes later with the death of a blameless young man." He said that although Fahri had two clear opportunities to walk away from a row in the shop, he went back to cause serious harm to Jimmy who he felt had "disrespected" him. He told Fahri: "You carried out your intention so successfully that you killed him, depriving a loving family of a son and brother." The incident had terrified staff in the shop, Jimmy's brother Harry and a customer. But the judge added: "The court accepts you did not intend to kill your victim and that you are a very young man." The judge praised the Mizen family for the dignity they showed in court and for the "clear and moderate" way in which they had worded their impact statements to the court. Fahri had told the court he did not mean to do serious harm. He said: "I did not think it would break, let alone hit him in the face. I literally picked it up and slung it in two seconds."
ITN | March 27, 2009
