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Knife-attack Zimbabwe teenager bleeds to death in UK
By Staff
Reporter
A ZIMBABWEAN teenager
bled to death after being stabbed six times in the leg by a Turkish
gang, a Crown Court heard in Luton, England.
Ulas Dilek, 18, described as the leader of a Turkish gang who chased and stabbed 18-year-old Lennis Ndebele to death in Hatfield town centre on January 8 this year was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years behind bars.
Ndebele who lived in Luton was caught-up in a violent feud between Turkish and Zimbabwean teenagers. He was stabbed six times in the leg with two knives. One wound severed a main artery in his leg and he bled to death in a park.
Dilek and his two pals Ozhan Kandemir, 18, and Mahmut Arayan, 17, were accused of murder but cleared of the charge.
But, at the Old Bailey this week Dilek, known as Tyson because of his boxing training, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years' detention in a young offenders' institute for manslaughter.
Kandemir, who had previously been offered a place at Liverpool FC's youth academy, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years' detention in a young offenders' institute for conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. Arayan received 18 months for the same offence.
Passing sentence, Justice Field told Dilek: "You went out with your co-defendants looking for a fight with Lennie. He was 18. You knew he was likely to be carrying a knife. He had used it on one of your friends just four days previously.
"You went out armed with an extremely sharp knife with a six-inch blade. Kandemir and Arayan were armed with metal poles. Lennie pulled out his knife, as you must have realised he would. Arayan hit him on the head with a pole. Lennie ran away but you chased him. I am quite satisfied that the three of you pitched into him. Lennie ran away again but you, Dilek, chased him and maintained a sustained attack.
"In the course of this you stabbed him six times. He collapsed by the side of the park where he bled to death."
The judge accepted that Dilek did not go out intending to kill Lennis and said that he was young and had no previous convictions. But he added: 'The carrying of knives by young men in Britain is becoming all too prevalent.
'People, especially young men, must understand that the courts will treat extremely seriously violence in which knives are used.'
A trial at Luton Crown Court had heard how Lennis was attacked after a long-running dispute in Hatfield with the occupants of the Town Centre Off Licence.
Dilek, Kandemir and Arayan were all either related to or friends of the shop's owners.
The trouble began in 2003 when the groups clashed in the town and one of the Turkish youths used pit bull terriers to scare the others.
Dilek told a girl that Lennis had "disrespected" his family and had later warned "that boy is going to die". Just before Christmas last year Dilek punched one of Lennis' friends.
On January 4 Lennis pulled a knife outside the off licence and hit one of the Turkish gang in the chest. At 10.30pm on January 8, Lennis and his friends visited Hatfield after drinking whisky.
The Turks spotted them and said: "Lennie, we want to talk to you". Lennis pulled out a knife but the others began attacking him.He managed to stagger to his feet but left a trail of bloody footsteps to the park 100 metres away where he collapsed.
Dilek and Kandemir
were seen attacking him again as he cowered on the ground. Lennis' blood
was later found on the clothing of all three defendants.
Dilek, of Moselle Street, Tottenham; Kandemir, of Partridge Way, Wood
Green, and Arayan, of Park Lane, Tottenham, north London, all denied
murder.
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