Jermaine Cools: Boy pleads guilty to murdering 14-year-old in Croydon

A teenager has admitted fatally stabbing a 14-year-old boy in south London. Jermaine Cools was injured in London Road, Croydon, near West Croydon railway station, following a fight involving a number of people in November 2021. He went to hospital but died a short time later. A boy, now aged 17, was arrested and charged with Jermaine’s murder and possession of an offensive weapon. On Monday, the defendant, who cannot be identified because of his age, appeared at the Old Bailey for a plea hearing. He pleaded guilty to murder, having previously admitted possessing a knife in London Road, Croydon, on the same date. Jermaine’s family sat in Court Two of the Old Bailey on what would have been the first day of the defendant’s trial. Prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC suggested a provisional sentencing date of February 24. The facts of the case were not outlined and the defendant was remanded into custody.

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