Two men jailed after murdering teenager yards from his home in Edmonton

Two men have been jailed after being found guilty of murdering a teenager in Edmonton.

The court heard how Bernard Carroll, 20 (26.12.03) of Church Street, Enfield and Josiah James Semper, 19 (31.03.05) of Cromie Close, Enfield pursued and fatally stabbed 16-year-old Taye Faik as he fled towards his home. Both were found guilty of Taye’s murder following the conclusion of a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday, 16 October.

At the same court on Tuesday, 22 October, both men were sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum term of 22 years.

Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, led the investigation. She said: “This was a shocking and brutal attack on a teenage boy who was yards from his front door.

“Semper was armed with a flick knife and inflicted the fatal wound, while Carroll drove the car to Kendal Gardens, fully in the knowledge that Semper was armed and in no doubt that significant violence would take place. It was evident from the investigation that there was a significant degree of planning involved.

“Taye’s family have had to endure the trauma of losing him and then hearing evidence of the attack throughout the trial process. While nothing can be done to ease their pain, I hope that the fact Carroll and Semper have been held to account for their part in Taye’s murder brings them a small degree of comfort.

"This conviction and the subsequent sentence should demonstrate the serious consequences and loss of life that is associated with carrying a knife. The sentencing today should act as a deterrent to anyone else in possession of such dangerous weapons."

An investigation was launched after police were called at 23:27hrs on 1 October 2023 to reports of a stabbing in Kendal Gardens, N18. Despite the efforts of the emergency services, Taye died at the scene.

Taye had been out walking his dog and was yards from his home when he was attacked by at least two occupants who had got out of a waiting car. Witnesses reported hearing the attack and seeing the car driving at speed as it left the area. Taye made it back to his house where he collapsed in the hallway, fatally injured.

Detectives quickly began to piece together the events of that evening, initially using CCTV to plot the movements of a car that the attackers had used.

This car was later found abandoned in a nearby car park – it was on false registration plates and had been stolen a couple of weeks earlier.

A thorough investigation enabled officers to plot the movements of the vehicle and its occupants on the day Taye was attacked and fatally injured.

Bernard Carroll was arrested on 6 November 2023 after officers tracked him down to an address in Edmonton. He refused to answer any questions about the attack on Taye.

Josiah Semper had fled to Antigua shortly after the murder, but was arrested when he returned to the UK on 17 November 2023. Again, when questioned about the attack on Taye, he declined to answer any questions.