Teenager jailed for murder in Newham

A Met detective has called on parents to make sure they are aware of their children’s online purchases after a youth, who murdered a teenager in Newham with a knife bought from a website, was jailed.

Following a five-week trial at the Old Bailey, a jury found the 17-year-old male, who cannot be named for legal reasons, guilty of the murder of 16-year-old Rahaan Ahmed Amin.

He was sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, 9 October to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 15 years.

Detective Chief Inspector Kelly Allen, the lead investigator from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: "The defendant's claim that he acted in self-defence was completely rejected by the jury. Rahaan was murdered in cold blood after the 17-year-old cycled up to him and stabbed him within seconds of arriving, giving him no opportunity to react.

"This case demonstrates how easy it is for young people to purchase deadly knives online. I would urge all parents to be aware of their child's online activity and what purchases they are making. It is also important for parents to keep their ID documents secure to ensure they are not misused by their children."

The court heard Rahaan was fatally attacked in West Ham Park on 9 July 2023 after the 17-year-old cycled up to him and stabbed him in the chest. Rahaan died in hospital the next day.

Homicide detectives launched an investigation immediately and a long red knife was found in a tree in the park. Forensic testing recovered the 17-year-old's fingerprint and Rahaan's blood.

A number of eye-witnesses were also spoken to and CCTV was collated to piece together what had happened.

A photograph was also identified on a Snapchat account linked to the 17-year-old that showed a collection of nine knives lined up on a bed. One of those knives was identical in appearance to the knife found in the tree at West Ham Park - and also identical in appearance to a knife ordered on the internet through an online shop on 12 June 2023.

Detectives traced the transaction details of that order, along with two similar orders, which had been placed using the name of the father of one of the 17-year-old’s friends. When the police told the man about these transactions, he had no knowledge of them at all. The last of the three orders for knives had a delivery address the same as the 17-year-old's.

The 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of murder two days after Rahaan died in hospital (12 July) and he was charged on 13 July.