Teenage boy who tried to flee country jailed for murder along with three men

A teenage boy who was caught on the way to an airport trying to flee the country has been jailed for the murder of 21-year-old Bartosz Wyrzykowski.

The 17-year-old, who can’t be named for legal reasons, appeared at Inner London Crown Court on Wednesday and was jailed for 17 years.

Three other men who were found guilty of manslaughter – Yusuf Murat Aydin, 22, of Eltham Green Road, Eltham, received a sentence of 12 years, Jack Davies, 20, of Westhorne Avenue, Eltham, received 11 years and Benedict Paul, 18, of Ellis Close, Eltham, was jailed for nine years.

In February last year, Bartosz and his friend were out shopping for food. A car pulled up beside the two boys, all four defendants were inside it.

Aydin got out of the car first and confronted Bartosz, the other defendants quickly joined him and also began pushing and shoving the victim.

The group moved down Lionel Road, near to the junction of Westhorne Avenue, the four attacked Bartosz, who fell to the floor before he was stabbed with a machete style knife.

He was taken to an east London hospital where he died from a knife wound to the stomach that severed a vein. He had also suffered other knife wounds to his leg and hand.

At the scene, the forensics team found a second person’s blood, in addition to the victim’s. This was later found to be Aydin’s who had recently been released from hospital after being treated for stab wounds, those wounds opened up during the attack.

The next day Aydin had the car professionally cleaned, inside and out, in an effort to destroy any evidence.

Witnesses would later tell police that while all four men attacked the victim, the 17-year-old boy was the one who wielded the machete that ended Bartosz’s life.

The 17-year-old boy was arrested on February 11, 2022, while travelling in a taxi to London City Airport with luggage. He was headed for Ghana.

Paul, who was aged 17 at the time of the murder, never returned to his home, but instead fled to Kent on the day of the murder.

After the arrest and charge of his co-defendants, Paul handed himself in on February 16, 2022, at Lewisham Police Station.

DCI Kate Kieran said: “This was an intentional attack, it was brutal and afterwards all four defendants took steps to avoid being arrested. They must now all spend time behind bars as a result of their actions.”

Pictured top: Benedict Paul, Yusuf Aydin, Jack Davies (Picture: The Met)