Killer sentenced for homicide of Brit teen who died after spending years in ‘vegetative state’

A man has been jailed for the vicious stabbing of a 17-year-old boy in south London that left the teenager in a “vegetative state.” Jamal Boyce, who was known as ‘Smiley’ to his pals, was found with stab wounds to his chest and leg at Triangle Place on the night of October 14, 2016.

The teenager was treated at the scene by paramedics but went into cardiac arrest before arriving in hospital which deprived his brain of oxygen for a critical 14 minutes. Doctors concluded the brutal attack left Jamal in a barely conscious state before he was transferred to a specialist long-term care facility where he required round-the-clock nursing care.

Osei-Kofi handed himself into police on October 20, 2016 after his father recognised him in police appeals for people of interest in the stabbing. The 25-year-old was convicted of grievous bodily harm and jailed for 10 years on May 4, 2018 – despite being found not guilty of attempted murder.

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Jamal’s mother Pansy said the stabbing left her son “blind, unable to speak and severely limited in his ability to interact with the world around him”. And despite the “bleak” outlook, the teenager “fought tirelessly” to survive.

However, after five-and-a-half years of care, Jamel sadly died on Tuesday, February 13, 2022 at the age of 22. A post-mortem examination held a few days later gave a cause of death as a penetrating injury to his chest which led to murder proceedings being taken against Osei-Kofi.

Last Friday, he he was sentenced to a minimum sentence of seven years and 10 months in prison for the murder. Jamel’s heartbroken mother, Pansy said: “This stabbing turned an ordinary day in 2016 into a nightmare that we were forced to live through for five and a half years, while Jamel was left blind, unable to speak and severely limited in his ability to interact with the world around him.

“He fought tirelessly to survive, with us by his side throughout, despite such a bleak outlook, before closing his eyes for the last time. The impact of Jamel’s death extends far beyond his individual life; it has ripped through our family and community in ways that words can barely capture.

“The damage caused by this crime will ripple through all our lives for years to come.” Jamal’s father Patrick said: “I have come to witness the sentence of this man who took my son’s life, and I wish to hear him say he is sorry and ask for forgiveness from us.

“No amount of sentence can justify what he has done to me and my family, but I hope in time that somewhere in his heart he can find some remorse and ask whichever God he believes in for forgiveness.”

Detective Inspector Andy Griffin of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: “Jamel was a young man with a very promising future, known as ‘Smiley’ to his friends. He was described by those who knew him as an intelligent, thoughtful and considerate young man.

“The ordeal that he and his family have been through has been devastating. I sincerely hope that today’s sentence brings closure to the nightmare they have lived through for the last eight years.”

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