Man jailed for life for murder of 18-year-old Cheyon Evans in Wandsworth

A man who deliberately armed himself with a knife and stabbed a teenager to death in Wandsworth last summer has been jailed.

Fernando Pope, 21, of no fixed address, was at the Old Bailey sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 25 years, for the murder of 18-year-old Cheyon Evans, pictured above.

He was found guilty at the same court following a trial in January.

The court heard that police were called shortly after 4.40pm on Friday, June 14 last year to reports of a stabbing in Deeside Road, Wandsworth.

Officers attended alongside the London Ambulance Service and found Cheyon in a critical condition.

Despite the efforts of paramedics, including those from London’s Air Ambulance, he died at the scene a short time later.

A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as a stab wound to the chest.

Homicide detectives from Specialist Crime launched an investigation and established that Pope had used a large knife to repeatedly stab Cheyon.

Pope was identified via CCTV from the estate and he was arrested on June 20. He was charged the following day and remanded in custody.

The motivation for the fatal attack has never been established.

Cheyon’s mother, Sarah, said: “My heart will forever be broken and I can’t picture a day where I won’t grieve the loss of my son.

“I have a permanent hole in my heart that can never be filled and will never stop bleeding. My only hope is that Cheyon, like many others that were brutally and horrifically murdered on the streets of London in 2019, will be a name, a story that inspires the government to create change, a better future and better opportunities for the children of yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

Detective Chief Inspector Helen Rance, from Specialist Crime, who led the investigation, said: “Fernando Pope set out that night armed to kill and he will now pay the price for his actions.

“While he will spend a considerable period of time in jail, it is not only Pope who will have to serve a life sentence. Cheyon’s family have been left utterly bereft and they will never stop grieving for the loss of their son and brother.

“We are committed to making sure another family does not have to go through the same ordeal. If you know someone carrying a knife or have information about someone involved in criminal activity, please come forward.

“You do not need to speak to police – you can call independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555.”

Do you know about someone who is carrying a knife? If you have information that could help keep your community safe, but don’t want to speak to police, please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They do not ask your name and cannot trace your call or I.P address.

Any young people who have information about violence or knife crime, can visit www.fearless.org where they can pass on information anonymously – your I.P address will not be traced. Fearless is part of the Crimestoppers charity, and is also independent of the police.