Man admits murder of boy who died in 2016 attack

Jamel Boyce was left with catastrophic brain damage after a cardiac arrest caused by being stabbed

A man whose victim died from his injuries more than five years after being stabbed has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to his murder.

Jamel Boyce was left blind, paralysed and unable to speak after being attacked in Clapham, south London, by Tyrese Osei-Kofi in October 2016.

Mr Boyce, then 17, went into cardiac arrest after being attacked, and the lack of oxygen caused massive brain damage.

Osei-Kofi handed himself into police six days after the knife attack, following media appeals in which his father recognised him, and was sentenced for 10 years for wounding with intent.

Tyrese Osei-Kofi was originally convicted in 2018 of wounding with intent

The pair had been friends, the original trial heard, when they got into an argument at a fast food restaurant on Clapham High Street.

Mr Boyce had been seen by shoppers pinned up against a wall by Osei-Kofi while others watched "like a pack of animals surrounding a buffalo".

Osei-Kofi held his right arm against his victim's neck to trap him before stabbing him and leaving.

Mr Boyce was without oxygen for 14 minutes and suffered major brain damage

Paramedics managed to keep Mr Boyce alive but he was without oxygen for 14 minutes, resulting in severe brain damage. He was transferred to a long-term care facility.

After he died from his injuries in 2022 the case was reopened and Osei-Kofi was charged with murder.

Sentencing was adjourned for reports.