07 February 2021

Mother of 22-year-old knifed in ‘barbaric’ attack asks Boris Johnson for help

07 February 2021

The mother of a young man stabbed to death in a “barbaric” public attack 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 north west London, at around 5.30pm yesterday, 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 who had been privately educated, 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, told the My London local news site.

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 bagel shop” and also accused the Metropolitan Police of being “racist” and “horrible” and said she had not yet seen her dead son.

The distraught mother had earlier told the My London site: “He was the most polite boy you could possibly imagine.

“The perfect manners, he spoke the perfect Queen’s English.

“He was beloved by everybody.

“He always asked people how their day was, how their family is, if he could do something for them.

“He wasn’t around gangs or anything.

“He’s a billion miles away from that.”

Mr Badzak, from Maida Vale, had been privately educated at Wetherby and Portland Place schools before attending Roehampton University and had been seeking advice on becoming a lawyer before he was killed, she told the site.

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.

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