“Ditch the knives,” was the message to mourners at the funeral of the schoolboy Jaden Moodie.
The Moodie family’s pastor, James Powell, 77, called for an end to the cycle of violence that claimed 14-year-old Jaden’s life last month.
The teenager was deliberately rammed by a car while riding a moped in Leyton on 8 January, not far from his grandmother’s home in Waltham Forest, east London. He was then stabbed repeatedly by three men travelling in the car, a black Mercedes class B, in a frenzied 30-second attack.
As they walked into St Mary’s church, Walthamstow where Jaden’s funeral was held the mourners wore orange – Jaden’s favourite colour. There was a sea of scarves, ties and sashes in his memory. Even the two white horses pulling his hearse had plumes of orange and white feathers. A sombre drum beat ushered mourners into the church.
Jaden’s death was particularly horrifying because of the brutal nature of the attack and the fact he was so young when he died. He is the youngest person to die in a street attack in the capital in more than a year. Ayoub Majdouline, 18, has been charged with his murder.
Powell, who addressed hundreds of grieving family members and friends at the service in the 12th-century church, said: “We don’t want any more of this. It is no way to settle our differences. Life is precious. Ditch the knives and save lives. When Jaden was killed we were shocked that anyone could carry out such a horrific and ludicrous act on someone who was just a 14-year-old lad with so much life ahead of him.”
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and local MP Stella Creasy attended the funeral, but neither addressed the congregation.
Jaden’s father, Julian Moodie, was deported to Jamaica after serving a sentence for a drugs offence. The Home Office allowed him to return to the UK for the funeral but have ordered him to leave the UK on Monday and return to Jamaica.
Many family members paid tribute to Jaden’s kind and caring nature and cheeky smile. The family has launched the Jaden Moodie Foundation to celebrate Jaden’s love for life and to support young people with fulfilling their potential.
Relative Sharon Gordon read Psalm 23 and called on the prime minister to do more to protect young people from knife crime.
“Theresa May what are you going to do for the youth of Walthamstow and the youth of the UK?” she asked.
“Why are you not reopening our youth clubs and recreational facilities? Your ‘every child matters’ policy failed Jaden, your education system definitely failed Jaden and your safeguarding system failed Jaden.”
She called on May to answer for these failures.
Colin James, a youth worker, said: “ If we really care about the youth we need to work together to solve the problem in our community. May Jaden’s legacy be that we come together. I don’t want to see a mother’s pain any more and I don’t want to see more young people lose their lives.”
Until last summer, Jaden lived in Arnold in Nottingham where a tree-planting ceremony to mark his death took place earlier this month. Ten of Jaden’s friends from his old school, Redhill academy, made the journey from Nottingham during their half-term holiday to attend the funeral.
Music included traditional hymns, John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Road and Stormzy’s Blinded By Your Grace.
Jaden’s grandmother, Angela, told the mourners: “As a grandmother I can proudly say Jaden was a blessing. He has left behind the best memories and he will always be in our hearts.”
