0:00:02 > 0:00:09This programme contains some strong language and scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13We're the generation that film everything. Even our crimes.
0:00:15 > 0:00:20On phones and on CCTV, they're uploaded and shared online.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28This is the story of two violent attacks
0:00:28 > 0:00:29on the streets of south London.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Crimes with tragic consequences,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38which were fuelled by camera phones and YouTube rivalry.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45The offenders created a trail of video evidence, for the police to chase
0:00:45 > 0:00:52and for those left behind by the crimes to live with.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55That's...that's horrible.
0:00:55 > 0:01:01Oh, it's just so upsetting to see him run for his life.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22I was 17 when we moved to Tooting.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30I thought it was very lively down there. A place that doesn't sleep.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Even at night you've still got loads of people
0:01:33 > 0:01:36walking around on the streets and stuff.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44The street where I live is just off the main road.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49It's got a church and a mosque.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56This is one of the oldest mosques in the UK.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00This was founded by the pioneers,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02the first generation immigrants, if you like.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09I felt that Tooting was a safe place when we first moved there. Yeah.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13I don't think it's any more or any less secure
0:02:13 > 0:02:15than any other part of London.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23I think the CCTV cameras have been outside for some years.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I can't remember exactly when they were installed.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28It's part of the fabric of society,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31if you like, that there are cameras everywhere.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35It's good business, perhaps, you know, being in the CCTV business.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Two-days after we moved in, I first met Leon Elcock.
0:02:45 > 0:02:51He lived next door to me. I said, hi, and he just kind of smiled back.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58My mum liked his mum. They chatted a lot.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02We became quite friendly with them. Inviting each other to barbecues.
0:03:02 > 0:03:09We went to his sister's wedding. Leon was about 14.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Just seemed quite quiet.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16Didn't seem like he could hurt a fly when we first met.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Well, I've known Ekram Haque for over 30 years.
0:03:23 > 0:03:29We did a lot of activities together, both here at the mosque and socially.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31He was really, if you like, part of my family.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Just so loving.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40He was so, so loving.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44He liked us eating,
0:03:44 > 0:03:49like, I think, every Indian because my mum, "You haven't eaten enough.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53"Eat more, eat more." He was the same. He loved cooking.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55He cooked better than my mum.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58She doesn't like that fact, but it's true.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05When he came into our lives he replaced one father
0:04:05 > 0:04:09and, you know, we objected somewhat,
0:04:09 > 0:04:14as children you do, and you would, but he quickly became
0:04:14 > 0:04:19our father and what we knew of a father and what a father should be.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30APPLAUSE
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Now, can we eat?
0:04:40 > 0:04:42When we first moved there,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Leon only had like a couple of friends that would come round.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51As the years went on, his friends became more and more.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58You'd always see them out and about,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01but you'd always see one of them as well with a mobile phone out,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03filming what they were getting up to.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Oh, my word! Oh, my word!
0:05:09 > 0:05:10SHOUTING
0:05:13 > 0:05:15That's Leon.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I just thought it was boys being boys, just hanging around.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21I mean, nothing else to do with their summer.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27They started staying up all night and stuff
0:05:27 > 0:05:30so you would be able to hear them all night.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35You'd never go to the window to see what they were getting up to,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38but you would always hear them laughing hysterically outside.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40LAUGHTER
0:05:43 > 0:05:47They then started to troll passers-by, just on the street.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53That's Leon.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57That's just him on his bike.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59The man with the bald patch.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Wait, wait.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10That's him happy slapping a complete stranger just walking along the road.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Whatever they got up to,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19they just always seemed like it was something funny.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Just to hear them laughing hysterically.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Do you recognise the man on the bench?
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Yeah.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43You'd see this character every day, sitting outside on the benches.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00That's an appalling bit of footage.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03You can clearly see that's a vulnerable gentleman who's there.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06They've selected him because he's vulnerable.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10You heard the sound of that hit. That was a big, heavy hit round the back of the head.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24A complete cowardly attack on a defenceless woman
0:07:24 > 0:07:28minding her own business, coming out of a shop.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Nobody should be subjected to violence like that.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34People going about their business in the street,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36they've done nothing to provoke it.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38There's no reason for it,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42and these people think they can do what they want to anybody they want.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46That's how we get down on the fucking streets nowadays.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54There aren't enough people that report these assaults
0:07:54 > 0:07:56so they do go unnoticed.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04The person who's committed that offence
0:08:04 > 0:08:09is going to do it again and it will get worse.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Ekram spent his retirement most of the time with his granddaughter.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Marian was my stepfather's world.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24He adored her.
0:08:26 > 0:08:33And she was just the most delightful little...little girl. Oh, my...
0:08:33 > 0:08:35She was beautiful.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40He was just so happy to have a grandchild.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51I'd just come back in from shopping
0:08:51 > 0:08:56and I'd noticed that Leon and his friends were sitting across the road
0:08:56 > 0:08:59on one of the neighbour's fences.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07The old lady whose fence they were sitting on just came to her front door
0:09:07 > 0:09:09and it looked like she'd just asked them,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11"Please, just get off my fence."
0:09:13 > 0:09:17They decided to go up to her front door and attack her.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24I saw Leon kick the woman and his friend push her down.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26How old was she?
0:09:26 > 0:09:31She was quite elderly. I would say about 70, 80.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40The rest of the boys laughing at what they were doing.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Just heard laughter again.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45LAUGHTER
0:09:45 > 0:09:48I became scared from seeing that.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52I didn't know whether or not to go out and help her
0:09:52 > 0:09:55or call the police, even.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57I became in a state of shock.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02- Were you scared for yourself?- Yes.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05To know that somebody who was capable of doing that
0:10:05 > 0:10:09to the neighbour that lived across the road
0:10:09 > 0:10:11lived next door to me.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15POLICE SIREN
0:10:15 > 0:10:18My husband called the police.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Leon and his friend ran across the road back to his house.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29I then ran upstairs to see which way they'd gone
0:10:29 > 0:10:33and I went in my mum's bedroom because we could see them from her window,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and just saw him sitting on the trampoline.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47No remorse, no guilt on their face.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48Carried on laughing and chatting
0:10:48 > 0:10:52like they'd just gone to the shop to pick up sweets or something.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58While this old woman is across the road, injured.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03I felt like I had to do something.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08I opened my front door and ran across the road
0:11:08 > 0:11:11to tell the police where they were.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19They took him down to the station in handcuffs.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Leon was released the day after.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30He'd come back out onto the streets again.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45That's footage from directly outside the front door of Tooting Police Station.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48They are obviously becoming increasingly brazen.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08We have a month of fasting, as I'm sure you're well aware,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10and it's called the month of Ramadan.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14What normally happens during Ramadan
0:12:14 > 0:12:19is that there's congregational prayers here just before sunset.
0:12:21 > 0:12:22That particular night,
0:12:22 > 0:12:26congregational prayers had finished, people had had their meal,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29having broken the fast.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Ekram went out to have a cigarette and I joined him.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39There was no sense of danger at all.
0:12:39 > 0:12:45I mean, we were, just like any other evening, standing merrily talking.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Ekram's granddaughter, Marian, tended to be with him all the time.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02And of course she was standing with him just outside the mosque.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Ekram said, "Can you get me a cup of tea?"
0:13:07 > 0:13:09So I said, "OK, I'll go and get a cup of tea."
0:13:10 > 0:13:13I went inside the mosque.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19There was no way of knowing that within 30 seconds to a minute
0:13:19 > 0:13:22a horrendous situation would have arisen.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38I heard Marian saying, "Papa, Papa, Papa."
0:13:40 > 0:13:46I rushed back quite speedily, and saw my friend lying on the floor.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51He was unconscious.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55My first reaction was to take Marian away from the body lying on the floor.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06I didn't think that he was attacked at that moment.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Perhaps he might have fainted or...or anything.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Of course, there was ample CCTV footage,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31and that's how we realised there was some kind of an attack on him.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38The details were somewhat unknown.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41There's been some sort of an attack.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44My stepfather was in hospital.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48He was in a bad way, that's all we knew.
0:14:49 > 0:14:55Mr Haque's family and friends were extremely upset by what had taken place,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and couldn't understand why Mr Haque had been targeted.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01How could this happen?
0:15:01 > 0:15:04He had his mobile with him, his wallet was with him,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06so it wasn't a robbery.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Usually there is a clear motive.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11It's either crime-related, there's been a fall-out amongst people,
0:15:11 > 0:15:12there's been violence.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15As he was at the mosque and he was attacked,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19I assumed it would have been to do with race,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22a racially targeted attack.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24In this case, we didn't have a motive.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26It was inexplicable why it happened.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29It made all of us completely bewildered.
0:15:31 > 0:15:37We seized many hours of footage from many, many cameras.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Local businesses, buses.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48We were able to get some really good clear shots of the suspects,
0:15:48 > 0:15:53and they were very, very well known to the police and the local community.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01He couldn't have gotten up to that again, surely?
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Not after what we'd witnessed on the weekend.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09And after what we told the police.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22His granddaughter was standing there right beside him,
0:16:22 > 0:16:27and she doesn't look to be more than three or four.
0:16:31 > 0:16:37I just keep thinking, "What if that had been me or one of my sisters?"
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Just the lack of respect.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Doing it on your own doorstep.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54The following day, we were told by the police
0:16:54 > 0:16:58that these were youngsters who lived locally.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03We were also told that one of the boys was involved
0:17:03 > 0:17:08in a peculiar accident with his finger outside the mosque.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15After the attack, Mr Lyazi clambered over a fence
0:17:15 > 0:17:20and he caught a ring he was wearing on a spike
0:17:20 > 0:17:22and actually degloved a finger.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30St George's is a big casualty department.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32I'm sure, if they'd given it any thought,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35they'd have realised that their victim was going to the selfsame hospital.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47A group of young thugs have attended the hospital
0:17:47 > 0:17:52and you can actually see friends of Mr Haque who'd been at the mosque with him
0:17:52 > 0:17:56actually pass within feet of the very people who attacked him.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22They don't seem to be very sorry
0:18:22 > 0:18:26or remorseful or in any kind of state of distress.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35I mean, look at this fool, actually dancing in the corridor.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50These just look like boys - carefree,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53joking around, messing around,
0:18:53 > 0:18:59while just across the corridor there's a man dying.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13They were arrested very quickly, I think in a matter of 24 hours,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16and it became clear through the investigation
0:19:16 > 0:19:21when we seized mobile phones that we found what are termed as happy slapping videos.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Lane Gang Productions.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30What time do you get to town?
0:19:30 > 0:19:33LAUGHTER
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Well, that's not slapping, is it?
0:19:36 > 0:19:39That's a lot more than a slap.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Going over and thumping someone on the back of their head.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46The man with the bald patch. Wait, wait.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Lane Gang Productions.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Why do they film it?
0:19:56 > 0:19:57Why would you film it?
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Why would you film something like that?
0:20:01 > 0:20:03To show their friends.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06To show other members in the gang who weren't about.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12And also to show the world.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14- Lane Gang Productions. - Lane Gang Productions.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19They were shouting "Lane Gang Productions" as they were hitting people
0:20:19 > 0:20:22so clearly they thought they were making movies.
0:20:23 > 0:20:24Lane Gang Productions.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35I'm of a certain age where I don't understand things like happy slapping.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44So I go to my reference library, my children, to ask them what it means.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49They said, "Dad, this sort of thing that goes on, youngsters who attack people."
0:20:50 > 0:20:55And they record that on their mobiles and upload it to the computer,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58onto the internet for everyone to see.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03So that was the motive, if you like.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06It was part of that activity,
0:21:06 > 0:21:11which, you know, for some peculiar reason is called happy slapping.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21People do post some of the most amazing things online
0:21:21 > 0:21:23that are accessible to anybody.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28Often quite incriminating evidence, which later comes back and bites them.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Why do they do that?
0:21:30 > 0:21:31They're stupid.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42I think they feel empowered to be able to post something up like that.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44"I'm going to do this now,
0:21:44 > 0:21:49"and everybody else is going to be able to see it and think, 'Wow, that's so great.' "
0:21:52 > 0:21:54And then someone will do something
0:21:54 > 0:21:56and it will be better than the others.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Whose is the funniest?
0:22:00 > 0:22:02You know, who can get the weakest?
0:22:23 > 0:22:26LAUGHTER
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Lane Gang Productions.
0:22:33 > 0:22:34You know how we get down.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38This is how we get down on the fucking streets nowadays.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47The way they attacked my stepdad was not like that.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49That was a step up.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53They both simultaneously came at him.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56And that was totally different.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59It seems like they've upped their game.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Unfortunately it's an all-too-common injury.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08It's classic, erm, where there's a heavy blow to the head.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12The injury causes instant unconsciousness
0:23:12 > 0:23:15and, as the victim falls to the ground,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18they're unable to protect themselves
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and the back of the head strikes.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24There's a counter-shock as the brain moves in the skull
0:23:24 > 0:23:26and it causes a massive injury to the front of the head
0:23:26 > 0:23:31so it ends up in double impact. And many, many deaths...
0:23:31 > 0:23:34I've dealt with that over the years, where that has been a fatal injury.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44I never wanted to believe that he would die.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50I said to him, "I can't...I can't lose you. I can't lose someone else.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52"I can't lose another dad."
0:23:54 > 0:23:59There were moments during the period that he was there,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02we felt there was some improvement because maybe he moved his finger
0:24:02 > 0:24:06or maybe an eyelid and we were all excited that he was improving.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12But then, obviously, the situation wasn't improving at all.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16He died seven days after being taken to the hospital.
0:24:20 > 0:24:26It was how he died that really hurt me.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32It hurt to breathe. It just hurt to be alive.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38You want justice. You want them to pay the price.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43We were advised by the Crown Prosecution Service
0:24:43 > 0:24:48if these people were prosecuted for murder,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51they would not get any prison sentence at all.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56Therefore, we were told that the only option available
0:24:56 > 0:24:58was to go for manslaughter.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Elcock received four-and-a-half years' imprisonment.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Lyzai received three-and-a-half years' imprisonment.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13I felt quite upset that they got so little punishment
0:25:13 > 0:25:17for a crime of huge magnitude, of killing an individual, really.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20That's what it is at the end of the day.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23An individual life has been taken away
0:25:23 > 0:25:25and not only a life has been taken away,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29but it has also left an imprint on a young granddaughter.
0:25:33 > 0:25:39The best outcome would be that these children realise
0:25:39 > 0:25:43and realise greatly what they've done
0:25:43 > 0:25:47cos I hope it keeps them awake at night.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53And I would warn people about the dangers of joining gangs.
0:25:53 > 0:26:00People who think this is funny and again, it's not. It destroys lives.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15There's eight of us. Zac was the youngest.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18He was the baby, he came after Naomi.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24When he was born, the doctors said that he had sickle-cell disease.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26He was really small.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31They said he was several years behind what his growth should have been.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35We used to share a room.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38When we would go to sleep, I would hold him
0:26:38 > 0:26:42because...I'm a bit weird,
0:26:42 > 0:26:46but I would be afraid that something would happen to him.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Cos he was so small, I think he felt he had to be a bit louder.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56That was why he was so outgoing and why, like, he had something to prove.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00He was more confident than me.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05He can speak in front of a group of people without getting nervous
0:27:05 > 0:27:09whereas I'm kind of nervous speaking in front of five people.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16We both liked doing characters. In our family,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20that's what we're known for. We just do silly characters.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23That's my brother! Straight.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Zac was really close to our dad.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29It was predominantly females in the house
0:27:29 > 0:27:34so they had that bond where it was the two boys against us.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Zac was ten years old when my dad died.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27I kind of neglected talking to him at the time.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31I kind of had to be, obviously, the man of the house
0:28:31 > 0:28:34and be strong for my mum and stuff like that
0:28:34 > 0:28:37so I kind of neglected talking to him about the most important thing.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42He just probably wanted his big brother to be there to say,
0:28:42 > 0:28:44"You know what, everything's going to be all right"
0:28:44 > 0:28:47and I wasn't there for him.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57Young black boys need a male figure and sometimes,
0:28:57 > 0:29:01if he ain't getting it at home, then he's going to get it somewhere else.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10Zac started having problems in school.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13We kind of felt that he was getting in with people
0:29:13 > 0:29:16who were having a bad effect or a bad influence.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21That time in secondary school when girls are on your mind,
0:29:21 > 0:29:27the more you're in with that crowd, the more girls start to notice you
0:29:27 > 0:29:31because nowadays, it's not cool to be smart.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35It's cool to be like an outlaw.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39The school weren't happy that he was always getting into trouble
0:29:39 > 0:29:43and they said that he'd need to go to a pupil referral unit,
0:29:43 > 0:29:49which I think Park Campus is. Yeah, and that's how he ended up there.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58Zac was a bubbly character.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Certainly a larger-than-life personality.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04He was well liked, he could be very respectful
0:30:04 > 0:30:06but he could also be quite rude.
0:30:08 > 0:30:14His behaviour was reflective of his emotional state at the time that he came to us.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19He probably hadn't processed the bereavement of his father
0:30:19 > 0:30:22and his behaviour was reflective of that.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26Mainly, the challenges were around verbal defiance.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29There were no issues, as we saw it,
0:30:29 > 0:30:34in terms of Zac being physical towards pupils, toward staff.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39However, we got to know that he was involved in some gang activity.
0:30:42 > 0:30:49For Zac, living in Tulse Hill, there was a lot that came with that.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55Like many inner-city areas, there was gang activity there.
0:30:56 > 0:31:01For a lot of the guys, they don't first and foremost see themselves as gang.
0:31:01 > 0:31:02They see themselves as family.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06For someone like Zac, he grew up in the area,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09went to school with boys in the area.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12Whether he would have intentionally done so or not,
0:31:12 > 0:31:16he would have had an association with what was known to be a gang.
0:31:17 > 0:31:22The young people here are from different areas of Lambeth,
0:31:22 > 0:31:24different gang areas.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28They come together here as a school community.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Tensions were known about.
0:31:32 > 0:31:37We didn't expect it to be something that came to our doorstep.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45HE RAPS INDISTINCTLY
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Were you aware of the GAS Gang?
0:31:50 > 0:31:53Yes, I was aware of GAS and I was aware of TN1.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03And I knew that Zac was involved with TN1.
0:32:06 > 0:32:11I was aware of the rivalry between TN1 and the GAS Gang.
0:32:11 > 0:32:18Is it turf rivalry? Is it about the amount of money they make?
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Is it about... What IS it about?
0:32:23 > 0:32:26I think it's very much about areas.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29Certain people from certain areas feel like that's THEIR area,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32that's their territory and you can't come into it.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38Those guys upload those videos,
0:32:38 > 0:32:41almost like a dog marking its territory.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45This is who we are, this is where we're rapping.
0:32:49 > 0:32:55Anyone can go on to YouTube right now and see the GAS Gang parading themselves in Brixton,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57talking about their exploits.
0:32:57 > 0:33:04They will cuss, send for, abuse other areas.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Think about the irony of this.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13You've got these guys on the worldwide web, and what are they doing?
0:33:15 > 0:33:19"Yeah, W this, SE this. Slash whatever, blah blah."
0:33:20 > 0:33:25They're stuck in their postcode on the worldwide web.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34But the problem is, these guys get a false sense of security
0:33:34 > 0:33:37from the ease by which they can put themselves forward on YouTube.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43They can jump in front of a guy with a phone and you're with your boys!
0:33:43 > 0:33:46You're with the mandem.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49So you feel protected, you feel like, "Yeah, it's safe."
0:33:49 > 0:33:52But they forget that...
0:33:52 > 0:33:57even just getting their face in YouTube videos
0:33:57 > 0:33:59marks them as an associated individual
0:33:59 > 0:34:03with that particular gang at that particular area.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06So they don't have to have done anything to anyone.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09People will test them.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13People will come after them because their face is known, their face is bait.
0:34:13 > 0:34:18There were times when Zac was afraid to go to Brixton.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22We lived down the road from Brixton, we lived ten minutes away from Brixton.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24We thought, we didn't grow up like that.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26We don't want him to grow up like that,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29where he can't go ten minutes down the road
0:34:29 > 0:34:32without fear of somebody attacking him, and he was scared.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34My mum was like, "No, we can't live like this.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36"I'm not going to let my son live like this because
0:34:36 > 0:34:39"what if someone does attack him?"
0:34:42 > 0:34:45Zac wanted to break away from that involvement in a gang.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50And he was crying out for help. Zac wanted an out.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55We were working to support him, and as far as we were concerned,
0:34:55 > 0:34:59he was making really, really good progress in that.
0:34:59 > 0:35:00Zac turned a corner.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04He had an aim which was to get back into mainstream schooling
0:35:04 > 0:35:06and Zac was quite clear about that.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15He got involved at a conference organised by the London Serious Youth Violence Board.
0:35:15 > 0:35:20He spoke to an audience of 120 professionals
0:35:20 > 0:35:23and he was very good at explaining what he wanted
0:35:23 > 0:35:28and how he was going about leaving or getting away from what he'd got into.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20My little brother went to school that morning.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23He was where he should have been, at school.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32And these boys came in a car.
0:36:39 > 0:36:47I was in my office and I heard some screaming and shouting.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50I quickly went along to the foyer
0:36:50 > 0:36:52where there was a lot more screaming and shouting
0:36:52 > 0:36:54and kids were running in different directions.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58Something... Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04I heard shouts of, "They've got knives!"
0:37:06 > 0:37:10My team was on call for the whole of south London.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12We took the call in the office
0:37:12 > 0:37:15to say that there'd been a stabbing down at Park campus.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18We made our way there immediately.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27That is an image of the front of the school
0:37:27 > 0:37:33and that is one of our students being attacked by a man with a knife.
0:37:35 > 0:37:40That boy was not an intended target of the gang.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44He was only stabbed because he was there in the immediate vicinity.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52That's...that's horrible. It's...
0:37:54 > 0:37:57It's one of our members of staff who sees what's happening
0:37:57 > 0:38:00and tries to stop what's going on.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04I immediately ran outside to try and find out what was happening.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13There was panic among the students.
0:38:14 > 0:38:19It seemed to be coming from the road opposite.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27That's footage of Zac being pursued along the street.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30He's actually fled from the safety of the school.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46That's quite amazing footage, I haven't seen that footage.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49Clearly, you see Zac
0:38:49 > 0:38:55chased by two, three, four.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Scary in a way.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Chasing him like you chase an animal.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04They were on a mission, weren't they?
0:39:07 > 0:39:11Within seconds of that footage ending,
0:39:11 > 0:39:13Zac was pursued into a back garden.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19There was a horrific...scream.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24A green Nissan car screamed round the corner.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29I managed to get over the road to where...
0:39:32 > 0:39:38..to where I found Zac was lying on the floor.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45His eyes were open but he didn't look conscious.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52I bent down and just very lightly placed my hand on Zac's chest
0:39:52 > 0:39:56and I couldn't feel a heartbeat.
0:40:01 > 0:40:07I could feel myself going into shock.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10Very distant, very displaced.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13I just said a little prayer, to be honest.
0:40:16 > 0:40:22I was sleeping. I heard the phone ring. My mum was downstairs.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26She screamed, and it was a scream where it was like
0:40:26 > 0:40:30a scream that comes from really deep down inside.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35I was at work. I just thought, "OK, he's been stabbed, that's bad.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38"I need to go." But didn't think it was serious.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40I thought, "OK, let me call him."
0:40:44 > 0:40:47It was just ringing and then I started getting scared
0:40:47 > 0:40:49and then I called him again and it was just ringing.
0:40:49 > 0:40:54I quickly put on some clothes and I put on my shoes and I ran with my mum to the school.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56There was loads of police.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59All I wanted was to get in there because I thought he was there.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02The police officer said, "He's not there."
0:41:02 > 0:41:04I tried to get a cab.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07There were no cabs so I was getting really, really frustrated
0:41:07 > 0:41:08and it was such a beautiful day
0:41:08 > 0:41:12and I was thinking nothing bad can happen on such a day.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15We got to the hospital.
0:41:15 > 0:41:20The nurse said, "We're going to let you in to the operating room."
0:41:20 > 0:41:23She was like, "The only reason why we're doing this
0:41:23 > 0:41:26"is because there's a slim chance."
0:41:26 > 0:41:28Temi drove. We got into the car. We were trying to get there
0:41:28 > 0:41:31and we know the way to the hospital.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34- I didn't know what way I was going. - We were crying and she couldn't drive properly.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36It just seemed like we were driving for hours.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39I need to get to the hospital, I need to get there.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43He was just lying there and they were operating.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46His chest was open and you could see all of his organs.
0:41:46 > 0:41:51At first, I literally just felt like that's not my brother,
0:41:51 > 0:41:56until I went closer and I saw his hands and his feet.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05My mum started to come out of the operating theatre and I was like,
0:42:05 > 0:42:09"OK. Mum, it's OK, he's going to be fine."
0:42:09 > 0:42:13Then she stopped and she just looked at me and she was like, "He's dead."
0:42:13 > 0:42:17I saw my mum and I was just hoping that someone would say,
0:42:17 > 0:42:23no, he's actually made it or he's all right, he's still hanging on.
0:42:23 > 0:42:28My mum was crying and everyone was crying and then I realised it was...
0:42:28 > 0:42:30that he was gone.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Yeah, I don't know.
0:42:35 > 0:42:36I literally left this house
0:42:36 > 0:42:39thinking that I was going to come back with him
0:42:39 > 0:42:42and he was going to be hurt but he was going to be OK
0:42:42 > 0:42:46and never in a million years did I think I was going to lose my brother.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49You know? I just...
0:42:49 > 0:42:54the one person that I just didn't want to lose because I felt so protective over him
0:42:54 > 0:42:56and I just felt like the one time
0:42:56 > 0:43:00that I should have been there for him, I wasn't.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04I was sleeping, and that just crushed me.
0:43:12 > 0:43:19I couldn't believe it because, as we said, he was moving forward.
0:43:19 > 0:43:24A 15-year-old schoolboy has been stabbed to death in a confrontation outside his school.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29Stabbed to death before the school day had even begun.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33Police are now trying to work out why he was killed in such a cold-blooded way.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37We didn't really have an idea of what was fully involved until,
0:43:37 > 0:43:41through the day, as more information was coming in
0:43:41 > 0:43:45and speaking to witnesses and some of the children who had been present
0:43:45 > 0:43:48when this was all going on, some names were mentioned.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54A particular gang had been mentioned as being involved in this.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59I knew quite early on from the police
0:43:59 > 0:44:05that the perpetrators of this crime were from the GAS Gang.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09This is footage from YouTube.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14Four of the five suspects appeared in this particular video.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21That's Jamal Moore, he features quite heavily in a lot of the rapping
0:44:21 > 0:44:24throughout YouTube, where this gang are present.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26Karl Kinghorn here.
0:44:29 > 0:44:33Here, you see Jamal Moore on the left,
0:44:33 > 0:44:39Helder Demorais on the right and in the middle of their heads is Ricardo Giddings at the back.
0:44:39 > 0:44:46I think they look like any other gang of kids in London at times,
0:44:46 > 0:44:51but it was a vicious attack on a small 15-year-old boy.
0:44:53 > 0:44:58Zac was stabbed in the left buttock, twice to the chest.
0:44:58 > 0:45:02He had an injury to his neck and there were also injuries to his hands
0:45:02 > 0:45:06where we believe he tried to fight off his attackers.
0:45:06 > 0:45:08One line of inquiry the police are working on
0:45:08 > 0:45:11is that Zac was the victim of gang rivalry.
0:45:11 > 0:45:1415-year-old Zac and his younger friend were confronted by a rival gang.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17And they said this was a gang attack or something like that.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20It's a bit painful because it's kind of like they are neglecting
0:45:20 > 0:45:23the real issue and are not looking at him
0:45:23 > 0:45:27because Zac was, like we said, obviously, he was small
0:45:27 > 0:45:31but he was 15 and he looked like he was about 11, 12.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33A lot smaller than his peer group
0:45:33 > 0:45:36so for something like that to happen to him,
0:45:36 > 0:45:39it really upsets me that people...
0:45:40 > 0:45:43..people were looking for a reason for it.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45He wasn't innocent, in a way.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49That's kind of what they're saying and that's what hurts the most, I think.
0:45:52 > 0:45:56Initially, all the suspects denied presence at the scene.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01It's quite clear that they were CCTV savvy.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04That's why they were wearing hoods.
0:46:06 > 0:46:11In this particular case, the CCTV trawl extended over several miles
0:46:11 > 0:46:14gathering the movements of all the subjects.
0:46:14 > 0:46:163,000 cameras' worth of footage
0:46:16 > 0:46:20and thousands of hours of viewing required to prove identification.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24Clothing, trainers, heights.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26Karl Kinghorn was the tallest,
0:46:26 > 0:46:29Ricardo Giddings had a particular walk.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31A march, an army-style stride.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Helder Demorais had a bow-legged gait and a small round head.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38Jamal Moore - very distinctive nose. Quite a long nose.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41Although the hoodie is pulled very tightly,
0:46:41 > 0:46:43you can see the nose sticking out.
0:46:43 > 0:46:48- It's amazing how much you know about them.- Yeah, it's worrying, really.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54It did feel like we were almost part of the group because we had seen so much of them.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58But we were satisfied that we could say on the day of the murder
0:46:58 > 0:47:01who was where and at what time and what they were doing.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06The attacker immediately behind him was Ricardo Giddings.
0:47:09 > 0:47:14He is then followed by Kyle Kinghorn who is second in the chase.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20We then have Jamal Moore.
0:47:23 > 0:47:28Helder Demorais was identified as the driver of the car.
0:47:29 > 0:47:34We know at this time while this is happening, the other suspect
0:47:34 > 0:47:36has gone off on an attack of his own, if you like.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39He's attacking the other boy still at the school.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42As we watched through this footage, we noticed that...
0:47:44 > 0:47:49..his left hand comes out and touches the post before running off.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54This information was passed on to our forensic experts.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57They were able to lift some prints from the post.
0:47:58 > 0:48:03He was later identified as Shaquille Haughton.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06That's the five.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15We had a meeting with the police and they showed us
0:48:15 > 0:48:20when Zac was being chased. That was hard.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23That was really, really hard seeing that, especially the first time
0:48:23 > 0:48:27seeing him run and just seeing him there on the screen.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29It was so real.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32You want to do something.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36You want to go to the screen, like you want to be there as he's running
0:48:36 > 0:48:38so you can stop them, but you can't.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45The way it happened, it was like he was a Mafia boss.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49Like it was a hit on a big person, but he was just a small person.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54Before that, I was just imagining all sorts of things
0:48:54 > 0:48:57and I think you imagine the worst,
0:48:57 > 0:49:00like the worst it could possibly be because then it can't get any worse.
0:49:02 > 0:49:07Seeing it, seeing what really happened helped to stop
0:49:07 > 0:49:11certain parts of the things I was playing over in my head.
0:49:17 > 0:49:20Whatever punishment they're going to get,
0:49:20 > 0:49:22it's not going to bring my brother back
0:49:22 > 0:49:24so you want to do something to them.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26I was just having so much
0:49:26 > 0:49:29these thoughts that I really shouldn't be having
0:49:29 > 0:49:32like hurting them and hurting their families and stuff like that.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36I really shouldn't be thinking that.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41It was only my family, my friends and God
0:49:41 > 0:49:44that kept me in such a calm way that I kind of like...
0:49:44 > 0:49:48got the revengeful thoughts out of my mind.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56When I think about sitting in the court and seeing the boys -
0:49:56 > 0:49:58they were boys.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03These guys already had an online identity.
0:50:03 > 0:50:07They were used to engaging with technology
0:50:07 > 0:50:13and yet technology contributed to them being caught and convicted.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16They claimed not to be in a gang
0:50:16 > 0:50:20or have any involvement in gang activity
0:50:20 > 0:50:22and then they played a video to the court.
0:50:32 > 0:50:38We did do some work to prove that the gang that these boys were a member of
0:50:38 > 0:50:40were a gang intent on crime rather than their defence,
0:50:40 > 0:50:42which was that they were a music group.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50Within the lyrics of this particular song,
0:50:50 > 0:50:52we were able to ascertain
0:50:52 > 0:50:55what the gang initials stood for.
0:50:55 > 0:51:00Jamal Moore actually uses the initials in the lyrics of his song.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06Referring to guns and shanks.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09We also used some rapping from Kyle Kinghorn.
0:51:17 > 0:51:21Quite clearly, it's reference to carrying a knife in his trainers.
0:51:21 > 0:51:26That's our interpretation, and that was in fact his admission when asked about it in court.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32I was satisfied when they showed the video
0:51:32 > 0:51:34because the jury were like, OK.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37Do you think they were very surprised, the defendants?
0:51:37 > 0:51:40Yeah, I think they were very surprised, very shocked.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43I think they were a little surprised
0:51:43 > 0:51:47that we would use that sort of tactic and we do watch these things,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50the same as their peers do.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53It's out there, and if you're going to put it out there,
0:51:53 > 0:51:57it's open to our interpretation as well.
0:51:59 > 0:52:01These gang members do think
0:52:01 > 0:52:05that they're savvy with computers and with technology.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08What they've got to realise is we use technology to our advantage.
0:52:14 > 0:52:18We are fighting a war with technology and we're winning it.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24When the news hit of their convictions
0:52:24 > 0:52:28and it was put on BBC and Sky, whatever,
0:52:28 > 0:52:32I saw a Facebook comment, "Wow, bare YouTube faces."
0:52:34 > 0:52:36I think that the guys wanted fame
0:52:36 > 0:52:41but the problem is these guys achieved fame for the wrong thing
0:52:41 > 0:52:46and they are now paying for it at the cost of 18 years.
0:52:57 > 0:53:02This has been an extremely painful process for all Zac's family.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06We have had to witness the last moment of Zac's life
0:53:06 > 0:53:11played out on screen, all the while fighting the urge
0:53:11 > 0:53:17to reach out into the screen and help him as he ran for his life.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20We need to stand together as the adults -
0:53:20 > 0:53:24stop our young ones arming and killing each other.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26We cannot sit back and think
0:53:26 > 0:53:29that because it has not touched us directly,
0:53:29 > 0:53:33that we will not be affected by it.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37These young people are our future and they need us.
0:53:52 > 0:53:58For a good while, whenever I heard a student shout or scream,
0:53:58 > 0:54:06and quite often they WILL in play, I, er, I would...
0:54:06 > 0:54:13I would jump and...it was...
0:54:13 > 0:54:21I think that event still plays on a lot of stuff, on a lot of students.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24It's horrific.
0:54:42 > 0:54:48That smile's so Zac. That natural big smile.
0:54:52 > 0:54:57Before Zac's funeral, we made a video and we collected pictures
0:54:57 > 0:54:59and different video clips.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01Have you got anything to say?
0:55:08 > 0:55:10Just really documenting his life
0:55:10 > 0:55:13so people understand what Zac meant to us.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25Football at Brockwell Park.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29This was Christmas.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33He's impersonating Naomi there.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36All my life I've been thinking, what's his name,
0:55:36 > 0:55:40Dizzee Rascal because my name's Naomi and I'm in love with him.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45And he's reading his Bible.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20Everyone's got an opinion on young people and crime.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22To make sure your voice is heard
0:56:22 > 0:56:26and to find out more about the issues, go to -
0:56:26 > 0:56:29And follow the links to the Open University.
0:56:36 > 0:56:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd