Kelyan Bokassa’s mum has opened her heart after her 14-year-old son was stabbed to death on a bus in London.
The teenager was killed in front of horrified passengers of the 472 bus headed toward Abbey Wood just before 2.30pm on Tuesday. A manhunt has been launched to find the teen’s attacker, with no arrests made so far.
Kelyan’s mum Mary Bokassa, 50, described him as “very kind and caring” and she hit out at gangs, saying they “groomed” her son and took advantage of him. Fighting back tears, the heartbroken woman told The Mirror: “He was very kind and caring. He cared about people and had a good sense of humour. He was very polite.
Woolwich stabbing: Schoolboy, 14, knifed to death on bus pictured as mum blasts gangs
The 14-year-old was stabbed to death in a bus in London on Tuesday
Kelyan’s mum said he was ‘very kind and caring’
“He was interested in football and was a supporter of Arsenal. My son and others were taken advantage by gangs. They were groomed.” Mary added that police were involved with her son and that she felt he was being pushed towards going into care.
Life was all meant to be so different for Kelyan. His mum said he dreamed of being a chef after being inspired by Jamie Oliver. She said: “It was his first day back at school he had his uniform on, he was very proud. It was another day, he was happy.
“He was full of life, he supported Arsenal. He was very good, very good. But he wanted to be a chef. He suffered from diabetes so learned to cook healthily. He liked Jamie Oliver, he told me ‘mum I want to be a chef’. We cooked together.”
Forensic officers gather evidence at the scene in Woolwich
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Mary said Kelyan feared for his safety on the streets of London. She added: “He was on edge, very scared going out. He was targeted by gangs, groomed.” The mum also revealed that Kelyan lived in the streets in London for a year where he was groomed by gangs.
She said: “He lived in the streets for a year after he ran away from the children’s home. But when he came home, he wrote graffiti on the balcony to say he loved me.”
Mary told how she was the victim of an arson attack at a flat in Plumstead, South East London, when her son was young. She said: “I was moved from one place to another by Greenwich Council. The properties were not suitable for me and my son but it was all they had.
“When we were living in Plumstead the flat was set on fire. We had to run away from the flames.” She added that Kelyan had had “some problems with the law.”
Police officers on Woolwich Church Road
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She revealed: “Last year Kelyan got in trouble. He had done problems with the law. But we were trying to sort it out.” She added: “I can’t believe he is gone. I cannot believe it.”
Court documents show Kelyan was due up in court in November last year on charges of theft from a shop and of failing to surrender to court bail. The teenager was accused of stealing “food and drink items of a value unknown” from a Greggs in Twickenham, west London, on August 28. He also faced separate charges of possessing a “knife blade / sharp pointed article in a public place” after being stopped in Greenwich, South East London, on May 3.
A family friend told how the teen was a talented footballer who had been groomed by gangs, leaving mum Mary without her only child. Jacques Tizie told The Mirror: “He supported Arsenal, he was a good footballer. But the gangs got hold of him. He was groomed by gangs.
“She has been devastated by this, losing her child like this. This is something that needs to be addressed.” Jacques added: “I was here when the police knocked on the door. The news left her devastated. They need to get the knives off the streets. Not enough has been done.
Ms Bokassa said her son was ‘groomed’ by gangs
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“He had been in care that ruined him left him exposed to a bad crowd. He had a good heart. But outside forces got to him. When he was stabbed he was going into Woolwich. He was trying to get back on track, he was doing well at school. He wanted to get out of the spiral of violence.”
Kelyan was a pupil at St Columba’s Catholic Boys School in Bexleyheath, south east London. A spokesperson for the school said in a statement: “We are saddened by the loss of life in Woolwich yesterday of a young boy who was briefly a pupil of St Columba’s in 2022. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time Our schools will provide support to any of the students who may be affected by this senseless violence.”
Superintendent Louise Sargent, the Met Police borough commander for Woolwich, said on Tuesday: “I am very sad to say that this afternoon a 14-year-old boy has died following an incident in Woolwich. Police were called just before 2.30pm to a report of a stabbing on a bus.
“The incident occurred on a route 472 bus on Woolwich Church Street. Officers attended with London Ambulance Service and the London Air Ambulance. The initial alert was made by a police officer out on patrol.”
If anyone witnessed the incident or has any information which may help, they are urged to call police on 101 with ref 3795/07JAN25 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.