‘It is vital that the community, educators and police work together to stop this mindless and wholly needless loss of our young men’s lives’.

Four males convicted of their parts in the murder of Daniel Laskos in Havering.

Yesterday at the Old Bailey four teenagers were convicted of the murder of 16 year old Daniel Laskos from Harold Wood.

[A] A 16-year-old boy was convicted of murder. He cannot be named for legal reasons.

[B] Joshua Kerr, 19 [18.02.03] of Birchanger Road, South Norwood was convicted of murder.

[D] Callum Hands, 20 [26.03.02] of Vincent Road, Dagenham was convicted of murder.

[J] Rakeem Green-Matthews, 19 [12.09.02] of Gulderose Road, Romford was convicted of murder.

All four were remanded in custody to appear for sentencing at the same court on Thursday, 7 April.

During trial the court heard how police were called to reports of a fight between armed groups of males at 18:41hrs on Friday, 7 May 2021 outside a shop on Church Road, Harold Wood.

When officers and London Ambulance Service [LAS] arrived, members of the public were administering first aid to the victim, Daniel Laskos, who had a serious knife wound to his neck.

London’s Air Ambulance were also called, but despite the efforts of the public and emergency services, Daniel, aged just 16, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

A murder investigation was launched led by Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command. He said: “This entire incident was captured on CCTV that my team has studied at length.

“The footage clearly showed Daniel Laskos standing on the pavement with a friend on Church Road when the suspects approached them. Pulling knives and a baton from their clothing they charged them. Daniel and his friend instinctively tried to back away, but were caught and stabbed in a targeted, frenzied attack.

“We still don’t know what the circumstances were that motivated this murder. What we do know is that a family is changed forever and continues to struggle to come to terms with their loss. Our thoughts are with them today.

“We also know that four young men will forfeit their futures as a result.

“As homicide detectives we see the effects of extreme violence as part of our daily professional lives, and the speed with which often minor disputes can escalate into extreme violence goes far beyond our comprehension.

“It is vital that the community, educators and police work together to stop this mindless and wholly needless loss of our young men’s lives. If you know someone who carries weapons or is involved in violent crime please do the right thing and tell police what you know – your actions could save a life.”

[H] Loushawn Barnes, 19 and [I] Renee St Ange, 18, were found not guilty of murder or manslaughter.

If you have information that could help keep your community safe, but don’t want to speak to police, please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They do not ask your name and cannot trace your call or I.P address.

Any young people who have information about violence or knife crime, can visit www.fearless.org where they can pass on information anonymously – your I.P address will not be traced. Fearless is part of the Crimestoppers charity, and is also independent of the police.