A teenager has been jailed for stabbing his former school friend to death in an east London park following a dispute between the pair.
The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to 12 years in prison at the Old Bailey on Friday, 20 June. He was found guilty of the manslaughter of 15-year-old Pharell Garcia following a trial that concluded in February. He was cleared of murder.
The judge described the teenager as a “dangerous offender” and ordered that he must serve at least seven years of his sentence behind bars.
The court heard that the defendant, who was 15 at the time of the attack, stabbed Pharell in the heart in a park near Stellman Close, Hackney, on 23 July 2019. He then chased him until he collapsed and fled the scene without offering help, later discarding the weapon.
Detective Chief Inspector Kelly Allen, who led the investigation, said: “Our thoughts very much remain with Pharell’s family and friends, who had to re-live the last traumatic moments of his young life during the trial after the defendant failed to take responsibility for his actions.
“Somehow the defendant came to be in possession of a multi-tool, which he claimed in court was carried to the scene by the victim. The evidence we gathered disputed the defendant’s account that he grabbed the multi-tool and delivered a fatal blow to save his life. When the defendant became in possession of that weapon he had a choice. He could have walked away, he could’ve thrown the multi-tool to the floor. Instead, he chose to stab Pharell in the heart and then chased him, still armed with the knife, until he saw the victim collapse from his fatal injuries. Instead of rushing over to help his former friend, he fled the scene and tried to dispose of the evidence.”
She added: “Our investigation revealed that the defendant had a fascination with knives after we found 43 images and videos from 16 and 17 July alone of him playing with knives."
Pharell’s death sparked concern across Hackney and Tower Hamlets, where local police said the killing had a deep impact on communities.
Detective Superintendent Brittany Clarke said: “Pharell’s death was first and foremost a devastating tragedy for his family and friends, but it also had considerable impact across our local communities.
“While overall violence has been reducing in Hackney, tragic events such as this serve as a reminder that too many of our children and young people have to contend with the callous reality of knife crime.
“We continue to work night and day, with the council, local charities and wider partners to address both the root causes of knife crime and to deter people from carrying knives through police action.
“If any young person feels they need to carry a knife, please speak to a parent, carer, teacher, youth leader or adult you trust and we can get you the support to step back from that decision safely.”
Police were called at around 4.05pm on the day of the attack to reports of a stabbing. Pharell was pronounced dead at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services.
The court was told that Pharell and the defendant, who had fallen out after being friends, had agreed to meet in the park. The defendant had reportedly told a mutual friend that he planned to fight Pharell because he had been “talking about him”.
Following the killing, the teenager fled to a family friend’s house, where he was arrested in the early hours of the next day. Officers recovered the multi-tool near the scene, with forensic evidence linking it to both the victim and the defendant.
Police also examined the teenager’s phone, uncovering messages between him and Pharell in the days before the attack, along with dozens of images and videos of the defendant playing with knives just a week earlier.
He had also sent a message to his mother after the stabbing, asking her to remove certain items from their home and expressing a desire to go to Portugal.
The teenager was charged with Pharell’s killing on 25 July and later convicted of manslaughter at trial.
