A 15-year-old boy who stabbed a father-of-three to death outside his home in a row for anti-social behavior has been jailed for life. James Markham, 45, became “enraged” at the shouting and swearing at the back of his house in Chingford, east London, and went to confront the teenagers responsible. The stonecutter hit a drill in an attempt to scare them off, but in return the boy – then 14 – stabbed Mr Markham three times, including a fatal wound to his back. Mr Markham was helped by an eyewitness and his family but died at the scene shortly after the attack on August 9 last year, the Old Bailey heard. Police led to the killer as his phone was accidentally dropped during the stabbing, but the large knife used to kill Mr Markham was never found.
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On Friday at the end of a trial, the teenager was found guilty by a jury of murder and possession of an offensive weapon. He faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced next month. “James was a loving family man who leaves behind a partner and three children. That day they faced a horrific scenario that no family should have to endure,” said Detective Inspector John Marriot, from the Met’s specialist crime unit. “I hope this conviction will offer them some small comfort as they continue to mourn James. Police at the scene in Churchill Terrace, Chingford, east London, where James Markham was stabbed to death after confronting a group of teenagers (Laura Parnaby/PA) / PA wire “The teenager in this incident is subject to a criminal behavior order and should never be in the area. He had violated it on many occasions. “The knife he used was never recovered, suggesting he went to great lengths to try and distance himself from this horrific crime. But my team worked to gather a wealth of witnesses, CCTV and forensic evidence to prove his guilt. He will now spend a significant amount of time behind bars.” The stabbing happened at around 6pm when Mr Markham was smoking in a car park near his Chingford Mount home. The area had become a hotspot for anti-social behavior and the teenager had been banned from entering under a Criminal Behavior Order. At the time of the murder, he had already breached the order six times and was awaiting sentencing for his conduct. An eyewitness, Stuart Cole, saw the teenager and a friend “challenge” Mr Markham, the court heard, and the father waved the drill he was holding in the air without making contact. His daughter heard the commotion from their flat, but when she tried to see what was happening from the balcony, one of the teenagers shouted: “What the f*** are you looking at?” The killer then produced a knife, described as 18 inches long, and stabbed Mr Markham in the chest, neck and back. Mr Cole heard the killer – moments before the stabbing – say: “It’s okay mate, he’ll get it.” The teenager denied murder, claiming he was acting in self-defence. He will be sentenced on August 26.
