Teens get life for killing boy, 16, in mistaken identity attack

Two teenagers were sentenced to life in jail after they were found guilty of killing a 16-year-old boy who they mistook for a rival gang member.

Vanushan Balakrishnan and Ilyas Suleiman, both 18, stabbed Rishmeet Singh 15 times in November 2021 after chasing him down a road in Southall, west London.

Rishmeet had tripped and fallen when Balakrishnan and Suleiman attacked him.

The brutal attack was over in 27 seconds and the teenager's body was left on the ground as the two fled.

The 16-year-old died at the scene. It was determined he was a victim of mistaken identity.

Balakrishnan and Suleiman were convicted of murder following a trial at the Old Bailey.

Balakrishnan was also sentenced for an offence grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to an attack on an inmate while on remand. The attack, which happened last July, left the victim with severe brain damage.

Rishmeet was described by Judge Sarah Munro KC as "an entirely innocent victim" who came to the UK with his mother and grandmother in 2019.

They fled Afghanistan after the Taliban killed Rishmeet's father and attempted to kidnap the young teenager.

Rishmeet was a carer for his mother, who has polio, and his family relied on him for English translation.

"All who knew Rismeet spoke very fondly of him," said the judge.

"It defies belief that you two sought him out to kill him."

The judge's sentencing remarks can be read in full at: https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/r-...

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