Renell Charles was sitting at a bus stop on Markhouse Road with friends last May when he was approached by Myglor Yambuya (Picture: PA)
A teenager laughed as he was handed a life sentence for the murder of a 16-year-old boy on a street in east London.
Myglor Yambuya, 17, stabbed 16-year-old Renell Charles to death as the victim waited for a bus in Walthamstow on May 5 last year.
At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday, Yambuya smirked as he was handed a life sentence and was ordered to serve a minimum of 19 years in jail.
Addressing the teenager, Judge Murray Shanks said: ‘This was a brutal murder in broad daylight in a busy London street.
‘It seems that you believed you could do anything you pleased without any consideration of the consequences for others. I cannot be sure you intended to kill Renell when you stabbed him.
‘The consequences of what you did are truly appalling. You’ve taken away the life and the future of Renell at the age of 16.’
Renell was sitting at a bus stop on Markhouse Road with friends when he was approached by Yambuya, who had jumped out of a taxi after noticing him in the street.
A brief verbal altercation culminated in a chase after Renell attempted to run from Yambuya, who caught up with him and stabbed him twice – the second time as the victim lay defenceless on the pavement.
At the time of the crime, Yambuya was on bail for threatening a moped rider with a machete. (Picture: Met police)
The teenager died shortly after police and paramedics arrived at the scene.
At the time of the murder, Yambuya was on bail for threatening a moped rider with a machete.
Following the incident, Yambuya changed his clothes and swapped SIM cards in an attempt to evade capture. When police visited his address in Newham, they found that he wasn’t there.
The following day, Yambuya attended Forest Gate police station claiming to be confused as to why police had visited his address days earlier. He was then arrested on suspicion of murder and charged later that day.
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Following an initial ‘no comment’ interview, he later claimed he acted in self-defence as he was in fear of the victim.
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Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers said: ‘My thoughts today are with Renell’s family and loved ones. They have been dignified and supportive throughout and I hope it is of some comfort to them his killer has been brought to justice.
‘For reasons known only to him, Yambuya – just a child himself – subjected Renell to a brutal and unprovoked attack on a busy road in view of countless witnesses. To date, he has shown no remorse for his appalling actions.
‘This is yet another example of a willingness by some to carry and use knives with seemingly no care or thought for the consequences. Such senseless acts of violence will never cease to shock us all, and in this case, made all the more tragic given Renell was so young.’
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