Hakim Sillah murder: Knife awareness course stab killer jailed

Vladimir Nachev has been jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years

A young offender who stabbed an 18-year-old to death in an act of "cruel irony" at a knife awareness course has been jailed.

Vladimir Nachev stabbed Hakim Sillah twice in the chest in the unprovoked attack at Hillingdon Civic Centre in Uxbridge in November.

Nachev, 18, of West End Lane, Hayes, was previously convicted of murder.

At Isleworth Crown Court on Monday he was jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years.

Judge Pushpinder Saini QC said Nachev had carried out an "unprovoked attack of exceptional violence".

The court heard Nachev attended the course on 9 November "carrying a concealed Rambo knife" in his trousers.

Judge Saini said: "The cruel irony of the fact you took with you, and used, this weapon on a course which was intended to give you an awareness of weapons hardly needs stating.

"Hakim had done nothing and said nothing to cause you to attack him."

Hakim Sillah was stabbed twice in the chest

Youth Offending Teams ran the course for youths who had a previous offence related to weapons, and all those attending had been subject to a risk assessment, the court heard.

"Those classified as high risk were precluded from attending," prosecutor Michelle Nelson QC said.

Jurors heard Nachev and Mr Sillah knew each other as a result of "their involvement in the street selling of drugs in and around Hayes".

Witnesses told the court Nachev had arrived late and immediately "went for" Mr Sillah in "an eruption of violence".

All those who attended the course had been risk assessed, the court heard

Mr Sillah's mother Saranbah Sillah said her son had been "hunted down".

"He was bullied up to the point before his death," she said.

She called for youth outreach projects to be re-evaluated, with better security and training for staff.

"This is a heavy burden for me to carry, and one that I will carry for the rest of my life," she added.