Jake Fahri

Case details

Jake Fahri was convicted in March 2009 of the murder of Jimmy Mizen.

Jimmy Mizen was born on 9 May 1992 and was murdered on 10 May 2008 at Lee Green, London. He was 16 years old. He lived in Lee and attended St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School in Eltham, south east London. He was described as 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) tall and 14 stone (89 kg).

Jake Fahri was 19 at the time of the offence. He was described as of Milborough Crescent, Lee. His street name was “Detz”.

Timeline

• 10 May 2008 — Jimmy Mizen was murdered in Lee Green, London.
• 19 July 2004 — Jake Fahri was given a nine month referral order for taking part in a gang knifepoint robbery of a schoolboy at Falconwood station in Bexley, southeast London.
• 4 January 2005 — Jake Fahri was given a 12 month supervision order for the robbery of an adult in Greenwich Park on 13 April 2004.
• 13 April 2006 — Jake Fahri was given an 18 month supervision order for an unprovoked assault on a girl in the street and burglary.
• 1 April 2003 — Jake Fahri saw Harry Mizen in Woodyates Road, Lee, demanded to know why he had “grassed”, threatened to beat him up and punched him in the chest.
• 7 May 2003 — Police visited Jake Fahri’s home to speak to him about the incident involving Harry Mizen and gave him a harassment warning.
• 3 days after 10 May 2008 — Fahri handed himself into police custody after the attack.
• February 2007 — A rape charge against Fahri was discontinued at Camberwell Youth Court after the girl withdrew her evidence.
• March 2009 — Fahri was convicted of murder.
• March 11, 2009 — Fahri stood trial for the murder of Jimmy Mizen at the Central Criminal Court before Mr Justice Calvert-Smith and a jury.
• March 27, 2009 — Fahri was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of fourteen years.

Background

Barry and Margaret Mizen were the parents of Jimmy Mizen. Jimmy was described as the son of Barry and Margaret Mizen, their sixth son and eighth child.

Harry Mizen, Jimmy’s brother, had been mugged by Jake Fahri a total of 2 times by Jake Fahri over the course of 6 years prior to Jimmy’s death.

In 2001 Jake Fahri walked up to Harry Mizen in the street and asked for money before punching him in the stomach. Harry was 10 years old at the time and handed over 20p. Harry told his mother and she made a complaint to Fahri’s school.

Two years later, on 1 April 2003, Jake Fahri saw Harry in Woodyates Road, Lee, demanded to know why he had “grassed”. Harry tried to escape but Fahri grabbed hold of his shirt and threatened to beat him up before punching him in the chest.

Police visited Fahri’s home on 7 May 2003 to speak to him about the incident and gave him a harassment warning.

It was described that Harry had turned Jake over to the school on the first count, with Jake proposing to never succumbing to mugging again. After 5 years, Jake seemed to recognise Harry and mugged him a second time before he was turned over to the police.

Jake Fahri was described as having a string of convictions involving robbery and violence. On 19 July 2004 he was given a nine month referral order for taking part in a gang knifepoint robbery of a schoolboy at Falconwood station in Bexley, southeast London. On 4 January 2005 he was given a 12 month supervision order for the robbery of an adult in Greenwich Park on 13 April 2004. On 13 April 2006, he was given an 18 month supervision order for an unprovoked assault on a girl in the street and burglary.

Jake Fahri was also described as having a charge of rape dropped at Camberwell Youth Court in 2007 after the alleged victim, aged 13, decided not to give evidence. The rape charge was discontinued after the girl withdrew her evidence, apparently because she was unable to face the ordeal of going to court.

On the day of the murder Fahri drove his girlfriend, Tania Pham, 19, to work in Bromley.

After killing Jimmy, Fahri told a friend, Damien Heaven (street name Spider), that he had “a craziness, a madness” in the baker’s shop.

After the attack, Fahri hid for three days at the home of a friend’s elderly relative.

Before handing himself in to police, Fahri went to the Greenwich Holiday Inn and hired an £89 room for 20 minutes for “passion” with Miss Pham. Fahri paid cash and used a false name.

The offence

At approximately 11.30 on the morning of Saturday, 10 May 2008, Jimmy Mizen was inside the Three Cooks Bakery in Burnt Ash Hill, south London, with his brother Harry.

Jake Fahri entered the shop and an altercation began when Jimmy stood up to threats being made against him by Fahri. Jake Fahri challenged Mizen to go outside the shop but Mizen refused.

Fahri went back in the shop and hit Jimmy Mizen with two plastic drinks. The Mizen brothers defended themselves and traded punches with Fahri. All three then crashed into a glass cake display, before Fahri was bundled out of the shop.

Fahri re-entered the shop with a metal-framed advertising sign and started poking Jimmy Mizen with it. Mizen held onto the sign. In panic Fahri reached for a 12 inch (30 cm) hot glass dish from the counter and threw it at Jimmy. A one-and-a-half-inch glass shard pierced Jimmy’s neck, severing vital blood vessels. The shard was described as shattering on his chin, with a glass shard piercing his neck and severing vital blood vessels.

According to witnesses, Fahri exited the bakery with a “triumphant grin on his face”. Jimmy managed to stagger into the rear of the bakery and into a cupboard to shield himself from who he thought was Jake returning. Jimmy’s older brother Tommy, 27, found him.

Jimmy collapsed in his brother’s arms. Margaret Mizen arrived soon after and fainted at sight of her son. She regained consciousness, called her husband Barry Mizen, who arrived an hour later to find his son had died.

Competing details from the brothers’ evidence

Harry Mizen testified that Fahri initially threw an advertising sign at the two brothers while inside the shop. Harry alleged the sign missed them and that Fahri picked up a glass oven dish from the hot food counter, then threw it at Jimmy “no more than a metre” away.

Harry described that he turned round and “saw blood” and that there was “lots of blood”. He said the dish was “thrown hard”. He said the gap between the dish being thrown and seeing blood was “Seconds.”

Under cross examination, Sally O’Neill, prosecuting, stated that Fahri had not picked up the dish with two hands as both Fahri and Jimmy Mizen had been grappling with the sign. She said Fahri had instead grabbed the dish with one hand and “slung it” in the direction of Mr Mizen. Harry insisted that her account was wrong.

Investigation, arrest, and interviews

Fahri handed himself into police custody three days after the attack.

In police recordings of his interviews, Fahri commented:

"Someone has died because of me. I didn't mean it, I didn't mean to kill him."

Fahri also stated:

"Fahri said he panicked when he thought he was losing grip on the advertising sign."

Fahri said:

"I can feel it coming out of my hands so I panicked. I looked to my left. There was a tray there. I picked it up and threw it. I didn't mean to hit him, I didn't. I just threw it. I thought he would put his hands up so he'd let go of the sign. All I wanted to do is, I didn't want him to hit me with the sign, so I picked up the dish. I didn't think it would smash and I threw it and it hit him and it hit him. I didn't mean... I didn't mean it to... for that to happen... I didn't mean to hit him. didn't want to hurt him, didn't want to. I might have been lippy at the start, you know, but I didn't mean it to happen."

Fahri said he ran off when Jimmy let go of the sign.

Fahri said:

"I can feel it coming out of my hands so I panicked."

Fahri said he only learned of Mizen’s death when his mother rang him to explain what had happened.

Fahri told police he went in the shop for a sandwich, then changed his mind and saw Mizen standing in his way. Fahri said:

"I've made a step and looked at him to say, you know I'm trying to get past. I didn't get no reaction so I've brushed past him and he's obviously, he took offence to that, and he said 'Don't touch me'."

Fahri was remanded in custody.

Trial

Fahri stood trial for the murder of Jimmy Mizen at the Central Criminal Court on March 11, 2009 before Mr Justice Calvert-Smith and a jury.

Crispin Aylett QC prosecuted. Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC said:

"A trivial incident, brought about by the defendant's rudeness, escalated into something horrific. The defendant reached for any and every available weapon with which to attack the Mizen brothers. The whole incident lasted no more than three minutes - three minutes of absolute madness on the part of this defendant."

Pathologist Dr Benjamin Swift told the court that Jimmy Mizen died from loss of blood. A glass shard had severed the carotid artery and jugular veins which were both 0.4in (1 cm) below the skin near the jaw.

Fahri admitted throwing the glass dish but denied murder. The jury rejected Fahri’s version of events and found him guilty of murder.

Sentencing

Fahri was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of fourteen years.

Mr Justice Calvert-Smith told Fahri:

'A trivial incident over absolutely nothing in a High Street bakery ended three minutes later with the death of a blameless young man. 'Although you had two clear opportunities to reflect on what was a situation that was getting dangerously out of hand, you chose to go back into the baker’s shop on the third occasion determined to cause very serious injury to Jimmy Mizen who you felt had disrespected you. ‘In fact tragically you carried out your intentions so successfully that you killed him and deprived a loving family of a son and a brother.'

People and roles

• Jimmy Mizen — victim; 16-year-old schoolboy murdered on 10 May 2008 in Lee Green, London.
• Harry Mizen — victim’s brother; involved in the altercation and described as mugged twice previously by Fahri.
• Tommy Mizen — victim’s older brother, 27 at the time, found Jimmy in a cupboard in the bakery.
• Margaret Mizen — victim’s mother; fainted at sight of Jimmy and called her husband.
• Barry Mizen — victim’s father; arrived an hour later after Jimmy died.
• Jake Fahri — defendant; 19 at the time of the offence.
• Crispin Aylett QC — prosecuting at trial.
• Mr Justice Calvert-Smith — judge at trial and sentencing.
• Dr Benjamin Swift — pathologist who gave evidence.
• Sally O’Neill — prosecuting; gave cross-examination account regarding how the dish was thrown.
• Tommy — also named as “Tommy, (27 at the time)” in relation to finding Jimmy in the cupboard.
• Tania Pham — Fahri’s girlfriend, 19.
• Damien Heaven (“Spider”) — Fahri’s friend.
• Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons — commented outside court:

'Jimmy Mizen was an immaculate and decent young man. We all would aspire to have a son like him.'

Other details

The Jimmy Mizen Foundation opened a cafe in Hither Green in 2010, a mile away from the bakery where Jimmy Mizen was killed. The Cafe of Good Hope was next door to the headquarters of the Jimmy Mizen Foundation.

The cafe was run by Jimmy Mizen’s older brother Billy, who was described as a trained patissier. Two other brothers Bobby and Tommy were also involved in the running of the cafe.

The cafe proceeds were described as going towards running various charity and community projects and for local youngsters to get work experience at the cafe.

In 2010, “The Tablet” named the Mizen family as among Britain’s most influential Roman Catholics.

Jimmy Mizen was described as an altar boy until the age of 14 at Our Lady of Lourdes church near their home in Lee, South-East London.

Jimmy attended St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School in Eltham, south east London. The description included that he had special educational needs after contracting meningitis at 14 months, yet had worked to get eight GCSEs. He was described as counting the days until leaving school and starting an apprenticeship working at Southwark Council in building services.

Jimmy worked for extra pocket money with his self-employed father at his locksmith’s shop in Sidcup. He was described as polite and friendly, standing up for the underdog, and helping kids at school who were bullied. The statement attributed to his mother included:

'He helped kids at school who were bullied, he stood his ground and would stand up for his friends. 'This concerned Barry and I and we thought it would get him in trouble one day.'

Jimmy was described as mowing the lawn of a 87-year-old neighbour and tending her garden, and as getting shopping for a disabled woman in their parish. It was also described that he once bought a homeless man a bag of chips. The homeless man’s rug was described as left at Jimmy’s memorial outside the bakery as a mark of respect.

On the evening before Jimmy’s death, his mother and father hugged him as they celebrated his 16th birthday. Mr Mizen’s statement included:

‘We stood in a circle and had a three-way cuddle,’ said Mr Mizen. He said: ‘He looked lovely in his new clothes and we told him we loved him.’ Smiling, Mrs Mizen said: ‘And he told us that he loved us. We gave him a card that said, “I.O.U. one fare to California”. ‘We could not normally do that for a birthday with the size of our family. It was a one-off. He was so pleased.’

Jimmy was described as being given the following day off from working in his father’s shop. He went out the following day to buy his first lottery ticket, as he was legally allowed to play the lottery at 16, and ran into Jake Fahri.

It was described that after the murder, Jimmy’s youngest son George now had to sleep on a mattress in his parents’ room. Mr Mizen’s statement included:

‘It’s made him very anxious. He hasn’t been able to sleep in his own bed since this happened. 'The poor little fella will sleep on a mattress on our floor, he wants the windows shut, and the curtains drawn.’

Jimmy’s daughter Samantha, 22, who had Down’s Syndrome, was described as fearful that members of her family would go out and not come back. Mr Mizen’s statement included:

‘Every time we go out, her response is always the same since Jimmy died,’ said Mr Mizen. ‘She says as a question, “Come back?” to us. She always runs through the names of her siblings with the same two words, “Come back”. ‘Obviously this is in response to the fact Jimmy went out and didn’t come back. We can only reassure her.’

Mr Mizen said of Jimmy:

‘He was the shining star in our family. He was polite, courteous and always seemed to be happy. He enjoyed life. His loss is immense, not only to us but to all his friends and family. ‘We are so proud to have been his parents. Jimmy will always be remembered with a smile. God bless you, Jimmy.’

Outside court, Barry Mizen said:

‘This country stands apart from most other countries in the world, as a country of civility and fair play, of fairness and safety. We are rapidly losing. 'We are becoming a country of anger, selfishness and fear. It doesn’t have to be like this. Let’s try to stop it. ‘Jimmy stood up to a bully and it cost him his life. I feel this is a good country with traditional values, but we are in danger. Things have got to change.’

Mrs Mizen was described as saying:

‘I don’t feel anger because I know that it was anger that killed my Jimmy and I won’t let anger ruin my family. There is too much anger in this world and it has to stop.’

Jake Fahri was described as having been expelled from school at 15 for a “happy slapping” attack. He aspired to a “gangsta” lifestyle of easy money earned from selling drugs and treating disrespect with extreme violence, including attacking women.

The description said Fahri was born in Greenwich, South-East London, to Mustafa (43), a heating engineer, and Shirley (37), a receptionist. He grew up with his younger sister in a £350,000 terrace home.

He was described as being obsessed with rap music and smoking skunk cannabis. His hero was Tupac Shakur, who was described as having voiced praise of “the thug life” and being shot dead in Las Vegas.

He recorded a CD of rap music called ‘Dirty Money Vol 1’, including a track called ‘If only U knew’ about how his mother had no idea about his criminal lifestyle.

A neighbour was quoted as saying:

‘As a youngster he was a lovely lad who would often come over and play with my dog. ‘But as he grew up I saw another side to him. He got a job delivering the local free paper and one day he decided he couldn’t be bothered to drop them all into our letterboxes, so he dumped a whole pile of them on the side of the road. ‘When one of the neighbours asked him what he was up to, he just got a mouthful of abuse and had the paper trolley thrown at him.’

Another description said Fahri had a grudge against the Mizen family after attacking Harry Mizen.

Fahri’s trial involved statements and evidence including that he fled after the attack and that he had initially thrown an advertising sign while inside the shop, before throwing an oven dish at Jimmy Mizen.