Wandsworth stabbing: Man jailed for life for killing teen

Imran Boudjellel has been jailed for life

A man has been jailed for life for stabbing a teenager to death in south-west London.

Imran Boudjellel, 20, knifed Joseph Marafini, 15, in the neck and shoulder during an unprovoked attack in Wandsworth in October last year.

He also stabbed and injured Mr Marafini's 15-year-old friend before fleeing the scene.

Boudjellel was ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years having previously been convicted of murder.

Kingston Crown Court heard he was part of a group of five men who confronted Mr Marafini and two of his friends outside a supermarket on 29 October 2020.

Officers driving past in a police van spotted the attack and immediately ran to Mr Marafani's aid, but he later died in hospital.

Boudjellel fled to a nearby graveyard and was seen throwing something over a wall.

A large knife and sheath were later found in a car park covered in blood that matched Mr Marafini's. DNA matching the defendant was also found on the sheath.

Joseph Marafani was killed in an unprovoked stabbing in Wandsworth

In a victim impact statement read to Kingston Crown Court, Mr Marafini's mother Natalie said her son was "full of love".

She said his death had made life "impossible" for her elder son who has autism and complex special needs.

"He cries uncontrollably, leaves the bedroom window open always - for Joseph to come home."

She added: "I have become a shadow person longing for the days to end but dreading sleep which brings only nightmares."

Det Ch Insp Vicky Tunstall, the lead investigator, said the defendant had been a "habitual knife carrier" and Mr Marafini's death was "another example of senseless violence".

She also praised the officers who had tried to save Mr Marafini and detained the defendant.

Boudjellel was also jailed for six years for wounding with intent for the attack on the other boy, to be served concurrently.