The parents of two young men who were killed during a weekend of bloodshed across London spoke of their anguish today.
Larvaun Witter and Sven Badzak, both 22, were stabbed to death in separate attacks on Friday and Saturday. There were a series of other incidents at the weekend in which young men were stabbed.
Former public schoolboy Mr Badzak told his mother in a call, “I love you Mum” minutes before he was attacked by a group of men at 5.40pm on Saturday — as he waited for a bagel to be prepared at a shop in Kilburn after buying orange juice from Waitrose.
Mr Badzak, who fell to the ground and bled to death, was with a friend called Bobby who was also stabbed. Bobby managed to run into a shop to raise the alarm before being taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Mr Badzak’s mother Jasna, 49, a former Tory party activist, said “she never, ever thought” knife crime would “destroy her family and take away her only son”. She added: “After buying the orange juice with my card, Sven stopped to buy a bagel.
“He was an occasional smoker and called me to ask if he could buy cigarettes as well. Naturally, I said ‘yes’.
“Sven said: ‘I love you Mum, kiss kiss.’ I replied: ‘I love you too. Come back soon.’ That was the last phone call ever.”
Mrs Badzak said a witness had seen a group of men in the area “looking for trouble and posturing”.
She posted photos of her son with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Twitter, writing: “Boris, this is my only son Sven with you and you knew him as he helped your campaign. Sven was killed yesterday.
“Please get someone to help me after everything I did for you!”
Mr Witter was stabbed to death at about 8.10pm on Friday in a block of flats on Wisbeach Road, Croydon. Another man suffered stab injuries.
His father Leon said his son, from Peckham, wanted to be a computer engineer. He said: “He was the brightest boy at school. He was destined for great things. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time visiting a friend. I am numb, heartbroken.”
The bloodshed started on Friday night with five incidents in south London. It continued on Saturday with a man in his twenties stabbed in Hadleigh Grove, Coulsdon and a 24-year-old man knifed in London Road, Croydon.
At 6.10pm on Saturday, a boy of 15 was knifed on Churchill Gardens Estate, Pimlico. Yesterday at 3.19pm, a man aged 20 was stabbed in Hindes Road, Harrow.
Sociology graduate Mr Badzak worked as a train driver. He attended Wetherby Senior School, then Roehampton university.
Anyone with information on either killing is asked to call police on 101, quoting CAD 5580/06FEB in relation to Mr Badzak, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
