Mother of 22-year-old Sven Badzak fatally stabbed in ‘barbaric’ attack urges Boris Johnson to help
Video report by ITV News Correspondent Sejal Karia
The mother of a young man fatally stabbed in north west London has pleaded with the Prime Minister for help.
Sven Badzak, 22, was killed and his friend is fighting for his life after they were chased and attacked by a group in Kilburn at around 5.30pm on Sunday, Scotland Yard said.
He is one of two men stabbed to death in a spate of stabbings in just 24 hours across the capital with at least 11 others wounded.
Mr Badzak, reportedly a train driver and an aspiring lawyer, had been on his way to Waitrose to pick up orange juice when he was set upon by a group in Willesden Lane, his mother Jasna Badzak, 49, said.
He was rushed to hospital where he later died.
His friend, aged 16, is in hospital fighting for his life after fleeing into a nearby shop when he was knifed, the Metropolitan Police said.
Mr Badzak’s mother appealed on Twitter with pictures of her only son as a child with Boris Johnson, former chancellor George Osborne, and former prime minister David Cameron along with pleas for help.
The ex-Conservative activist tweeted: “Boris, this is my only son Sven with you and you knew him as he helped your campaign.
“Please get someone to help me after everything I did for you!”
She said her son had been “pointlessly stabbed for daring to go to Waitrose and a bagel shop” and also accused the Metropolitan Police of being “racist” and “horrible” and said she had not yet seen her dead son.
Boris Johnson has said he will "of course" respond to Ms Badzak's plea for help.
The Prime Minister says he will respond to Ms Badzak
"My thoughts are very much with her and with her family in mourning the loss of her son," he added.
"I think that what is happening on the streets of our cities is very, very sad and I want to see kids protected."
The Prime Minister said he is concerned there could be a “rebounding” in crime figures as the country emerges from lockdown, and said efforts are being made to ensure a “tough policing policy response”.
He said there has been “some success” in ensuring young people do not get involved in criminal groups, but added: “That’s no consolation, I know, to a grieving mother, but we are doing absolutely everything we can to fight those gangs.”
The distraught mother said: “I can’t believe it’s happening to me, that it happened to my child who was so, so far away from any of those kind of things (violence). I just can’t believe this is actually happening.”
“He was beloved by everybody."
Lead detective Chief Inspector Darren Jones, of Scotland Yard, said: “At this early stage we believe Sven and his friend became involved in an altercation with a group of males.
“As this group chased the pair, Sven and his friend became separated.
“Sven fell to the ground and was attacked by a number of the group.
“His friend was also attacked but managed to seek sanctuary in a shop – however, he remains critically ill in hospital.
“Our thoughts are with both families of these victims who must be enduring unimaginable pain at this time.
“I want to assure them that we will support them throughout this investigation and that my team of highly experienced officers will be working tirelessly to locate and apprehend those responsible for this horrific attack.”
Chief Inspector Guy Ellwood added more officers would be patrolling the area in the coming days, adding: “This was a barbaric attack in a public place and the community will be rightly shocked.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 5580/06feb.
To remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Police continue to investigate a flurry of knife attacks in the capital since Friday evening, with five incidents reported in south London between 6.56pm and 9.12pm alone.
A 22-year-old man, named locally as Lavz, fatally knifed at a property in Wisbeach Road, Croydon, died at the scene.
Police say the spate of stabbings are currently being treated as isolated incidents.