David Lammy has blocked Jimmy Mizen’s killer from being transferred to an open prison after he boasted about the murder in a rap music video.
Jake Fahri, then 19, was handed a life sentence in 2009 with a minimum term of 14 years for killing the ‘blameless’ schoolboy by throwing an oven dish at him.
The glass dish shattered and severed blood vessels in 16-year-old Jimmy’s neck in a south London bakery on May 10, 2008.
Fahri, 36, who raps under the name TEN, was released on licence in June 2023 but was recalled to prison last January when it emerged that he was producing drill music in which he gloated about the murder. The lyrics include the line: ‘Watched him melt like Ben and Jerry’s’.
In his songs, he appears to refer to Jimmy’s murder by saying: ‘Sharpen up my blade I’ve got to keep those necessary. Stay alert and kept it ready, any corner could be deadly.
‘Judge took a look at me, before the trial even started he already knows he’s gonna throw the book at me.’
The killer was originally recalled to an open prison but the Deputy Prime Minister has now rejected a Parole Board recommendation which would have allowed him to stay at a low-security jail.
When the content of TEN’s lyrics emerged, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer voiced concern about the ‘the significant additional stress that this will have caused to the family’.
Jake Fahri – pictured posing with a Lamborghini – was blocked from moving to an open prison by David Lammy
Fahri (pictured) was given a life sentence for the killing of 16-year-old Jimmy when he threw a glass dish at him fatally injuring the teenager
A Parole Board decision summary said Fahri gave evidence to the panel disputing the music was ‘about his own life’, but said since his recall the killer has accepted that he was the artist known as TEN in the videos.
The board said Fahri should not be released from custody, but could be moved to an open prison, which have minimal security and allow eligible prisoners to spend most of their day out of prison on licence.
‘The panel determined that Mr Fahri needed to reflect on his attitude, thinking and behaviour, so that he could better understand himself, including why he failed to be open and honest with the professionals managing his case,’ the written decision said.
‘It considered that this could be achieved in an open prison and recommended that Mr Fahri should be progressed in this way.’
Jimmy’s mother Margaret, 73, told The Sun she was ‘shocked’ to find out that the Parole Board had recommended the move and said she was glad Mr Lammy rejected the recommendation.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: ‘Jimmy Mizen’s murder was a horrific crime and our thoughts remain with his friends and family.
‘Public protection is our top priority, which is why the Deputy Prime Minister has blocked Jake Fahri’s transfer to open conditions.’
Open prisons have minimal security and allow eligible prisoners to spend most of their day out of prison on licence, for example to carry out work or education.
Fahri murdered Jimmy Mizen (pictured) during an altercation in south-east London in 2008
Prisoners eligible for release to open conditions must meet certain conditions, including being at low risk of absconding.
Ms Mizen said Mr Lammy’s decision shows Fahri has ‘not changed his attitude’.
‘I would much prefer this decision didn’t have to be made because he would have turned his life around. I’m really sad that he hasn’t,’ she told the newspaper.
‘It goes to show that the things which have been said about him over the years are probably true.
‘He got into the witness box at his trial and lied through his teeth. Clearly, he hasn’t changed, and I’m glad the Justice Secretary has seen through it.’
Fahri was pictured with England and Barcelona footballer Marcus Rashford while out on licence.
In a statement on his Instagram story last year, Rashford said: ‘I want to make it clear I have never seen this photo, I do not know this person and I am not friends with him.
‘Like most footballers if someone asks for a photo with me, I will never refuse but I am obviously not able to do a background check on every individual that asks me for a photo.’
Jimmy’s murder in 2008 was sparked by a petty row between the pair and his older brother Harry, 19.
Fahri started the argument at the Three Cooks Bakery in Burnt Ash Hill before hurling a Pyrex dish at the former altar boy, which shattered.
Jimmy Mizen’s parents pictured at a memorial for their son. His mother Margaret Mizen said she was glad Mr Lammy rejected the recommendation
Glass was driven deep into his neck, severing an artery and his jugular vein.
Jimmy, who was described as being of ‘immaculate character’, bled to death in Harry’s arms.
He had been out to buy his first lottery ticket on his 16th birthday when he was attacked.
Fahri, who pleaded not guilty to murder, ran out of the shop and was described by one eyewitness as ‘walking with a swagger’ while another said ‘he had a big grin on his face’.