07/10/2005

Teenage bully jailed for murder of victim’s father

A 16-year-old youth has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering the father of a boy he had been bullying.

Marcus Gabadan stabbed the 35-year-old man, who cannot be named in order to protect his son, after he confronted him about bullying his son, last December.

During the trial at the Old Bailey, the court was told how the man’s 13-year-old son had been bullied by a 14-year-old boy who had demanded £20 and a computer game from him. When he refused, the 14-year-old threatened him, saying that his father would be killed if he did not give him the game and the money.

On the day of the murder, the court heard how the 14-year-old and Gabadan were outside the younger boy’s home in Brixton, south London. The boy’s father had contacted police, but after being put on hold, he went outside to confront the bullies. He grabbed the younger boy’s jacket and Gabadan stabbed him.

The man managed to return home, but collapsed and died shortly afterwards.

Gabadan, who was named after the judge lifted an order banning him from being named, claimed that he had stabbed the man in self-defence.

Judge James Stewart described the murder as “a gratuitous, unprovoked attack on a man who was trying to stop his son being bullied”.

The 14-year-old boy was found guilty of blackmailing the 13-year-old during the campaign of bullying. He was remanded in custody for another month awaiting further psychological reports.

(KMcA/GB)


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