Schoolboy murderer jailed at 15 warns children about dangers of carrying a knife
A convicted killer who stabbed a man to death when he was just 15 years old says he is haunted by his actions.
In a hard-hitting video being played to schoolchildren in Birmingham, Sadam Essakhil, now 20, urges young people not to carry knives.
Speaking directly to camera, Essakhil describes how in just a few seconds, his life changed "for the worst."
In a video released through West Midlands Police, Essakhil warns schoolchildren about the devastating impact of knife crime.
“I didn’t take a knife out that night to use it,” he said. “But I did and now I’m in jail for life.”
Essakhil said prison has given him time to think about the impact his crime has had, as his victim was an only child and now "that child is not there any more."
The video is being shown to schoolchildren, as part of Operation Sceptre, a national week-long campaign by police forces to tackle knife crime.
Essakhil was with friend Abdullah Atiqzoy, then 18, walking to a shop in the early hours of May 31, 2015, when they came across two Polish men.
A fight then started over a “look”, but Essakhil and Atiqzoy were both armed.
Using a knife he carried for “protection”, Essakhil fatally stabbed Lukasz Furmanek, 24, while the victim’s friend Joseph Dudek was also critically injured.
The attack was later described by detectives as “sudden, shocking and brutal”.
Essakhil fled to France but later handed himself in in Belgium, while Atiqzoy was stopped trying to get across the Channel.
The men were convicted after trial, with Essakhil receiving life with a minimum term of 19 years, while Atiqzoy must serve at least 26 years before being eligible for release.
Essakhil said he had had a lot of time to think – not only about his actions, but about his victim’s family.
“The person that died, that was his mum’s only child and that child is not there anymore,” he said.
"It's not nice because having to live with the feeling that I've taken a life, trust me, it's not nice.
"Especially when you're in your cell, on your own all night and you've got nothing else to do, you're going to be thinking about these things and they come to haunt you."
Describing the fatal attack, Essakhil said: “Thirty seconds later, my whole life is different.”
“That knife – if I never took a knife, it would have been a fist fight at most,” he said.
The force said the decision to use a convicted murderer as part of a campaign to tackle knife crime had not been taken lightly.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Munro, from the force’s homicide team, said: “We see the tragic effects of knife crime far too often, the devastation that it causes so many people is truly heartbreaking.
“While officers work hard with young people, we understand some do not want to listen to what we have to say.
“Sadam’s message is powerful and I hope will provide some emotive thoughts and conversations amongst young people.”
As part of the national campaign, knife amnesty bins are being publicised across England and Wales, encouraging people to surrender weapons.