Family of teenager Solomon Small stabbed to death in Brixton say they “pray for his soul” as killer is found guilty of murder

The family of teenager Solomon Small who was stabbed to death outside a friend’s home in Brixton say they are praying “for Solomon’s soul” after his killer was found guilty of murder on Tuesday.

His attacker, a 17-year-old from Lambeth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stabbed eighteen-year-old Solomon at least six times on August 15, 2019, after following him and a female friend.

“Our heart goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one through violence,” said Solomon’s family in a statement. “We know your pain is unexplainable by words.”

“Our son is gone and cannot be returned to us physically. No matter what sentence is given to his killer our son’s life will never be returned to us. So many youths are killing each other.

“It saddens me to see so many youths have taken the wrong road and have got caught up in a negative lifestyle.

“Instead of each area formulating themselves into gangs I’m proposing that they formulate into businesses and if you want to challenge each other do it by establishing which business is more successful.

“This way instead of having gangs fighting each other we will have a multitude of businesses run by young entrepreneurs of the future, instead of planning how to stab and kill each other over trivial things.

“As children of Rastafari, spiritually, we pray for Solomon’s soul. We are humbled in the knowledge that God will receive, guide and nurture him in his transition within the next realms of his life.

“Our faith teaches us to seek peace and pursue it because it is the will of God for man.

“We pray The Most High grants us the spiritual, physical and mental strength with courage to carry on. The great pain and anguish of losing our child and the manner in which his life was taken will always be with us.”

The defendant fist-bumped Solomon before stabbing him repeatedly.

Solomon’s female acquaintance said that the boys seemed friendly as they ‘spudded’, or fist-bumped, each other. The defendant continued to follow the pair until they met outside the house of one of Solomon’s friend.

Moments before the attack, the victim had used his female friend’s phone to call her boyfriend. He had told him that the youth was following them, and that he was going to a friend’s house.

As the pair reached closer to the house, the youth appeared, and, pulling out a knife, lashed out at Solomon.

Angela Moriarty, from the CPS, said: “This was a brutal attack on a teenager on a residential street in the middle of the afternoon.

“Members of the public ran to help the victim, hearing his friend’s screams for help. It was at that moment that the youth fled the scene.

“Solomon was the victim of a violent and unprovoked attack. The verdict in this case today will mean that this killer will be held accountable for his actions that have caused considerable pain and loss to Soloman’s family and friends, who are very much in our thoughts.”

Sentencing will take place at Woolwich Crown Court on 9 April.