Guilty verdicts in London school feud killing

Savages … Osman Bangura and Isaac Walters convicted of Yemurai Kanyangarara’s murder

A ZIMBABWEAN teenage boy stabbed to death by pupils from a rival school in London, United Kingdom, was about to move away to another city for his safety when he was attacked, his father revealed.
Yemurai Kanyangarara, 16, had his throat slashed in daylight in front of passengers as he stepped off a bus in Welling, South East London, last year.
Isaac Walters, then aged 14, was last Friday found guilty of manslaughter while Osman Bangura, then 15, was convicted of his murder.
The killing was connected to “rivalry and ill-feeling” between pupils from two schools.
Yemurai’s father Kelton, 38, said he knew his son was in danger. The youngster, who dreamed of becoming a pilot or aeronautical engineer, had been living in Belvedere, Kent, with his mother Sharon, 35.

But he was due to move to Leicester after finishing his GCSE exams at St Columba’s Catholic Boys’ School in Bexleyheath.
Yemurai had been brought to Britain in 1997 from Zimbabwe by his family in search of a better life. However, Kanyangarara said he had become increasingly concerned about the school environment in London and wanted the talented pupil to move away as soon as possible.
He told the Evening Standard: “He was telling me about his life in London. I did not like the environment in London. He was not happy with certain people. I wanted him to move to Leicester for his security. He had commented about some feud between schools.
“I was really concerned about the situation. I really wanted him safe and to go through his education without trouble. We had been applying to some schools and colleges. But my worst fears came true.”

Walters and Bangura were seen putting on a glove each and overheard saying “let’s do it” before getting off the No 96 bus armed with two knives last July, the High Court at the Old Bailey was told.
He added: “Yemurai had no chance. He had been taken by surprise.”

Kanyangarara, a former corporal in the Royal Logistics Corps who runs his own garage, said: “I don’t think I will ever forgive them for what they have done. I say it is painful, but it is more than pain — it is indescribable.”
Walters and Bangura will be sentenced on June 6. Another 16-year-old was acquitted of all charges.