Jason Nyarko: Family pay tribute to man stabbed to death by stranger at ‘End of Lockdown’ warehouse rave

The family of a man stabbed to death at an ‘End of Lockdown’ warehouse party have spoken of the “heartbreaking” void they are living through as a teenager was jailed over his killing.

Jason Nyarko, 26, was fatally wounded after being stabbed in the chest at an unlicensed rave in a large vacant warehouse next to Millwall Football Club, in South Bermondsey.

A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for four years and six months after pleading guilty to manslaughter and possession of a bladed article at the Old Bailey.

Mr Nyarko had been at the event advertised on social media as an ‘End of Lockdown’ party on 26 June last year.

Police said there was limited CCTV of the killing at the disused warehouse meant there were limited CCTV opportunities and had to rely on mobile phone footage of the aftermath

Detectives also spoke to a number of “horrified” people who had seen a fight break out.

They described seeing Jason, known as ‘Jay’ to his friends, collapse to the floor with several stab injuries.

Police found the 16-year-old injured nearby having been attacked by a group of people following the incident.

He was taken to an ambulance for treatment before a number of attendees pointed out to police that he was the assailant.

He was taken to hospital and later discharged into police custody.

Detectives said the motive for the attack has never been satisfactorily explained.

They added Jason and the teenage killer had never met or had any interactions before that evening.

Jason’s sister Jessica said: “It’s almost a year since we lost Jason and today’s sentencing will not bring Jason back. We have to navigate the rest of our lives knowing that someone took it upon themselves to take him away from us. The daily pain we feel as a family, the void and the reality of doing the rest of our lives without Jason is so heart-breaking.

“A violent act has now impacted two families; Jason we will never see on this earth again, all we have is the memories we made together. The teenager convicted will get to see his family and live the rest of his life. All we can do is hope that he understands the damage he has caused.

“We are so sorry that this happened to you Jason, and we did everything we could do to make sure your death wasn’t in vain. We think about you every day, we miss you so much. We love you forever.”

DCI Brian Howie, who led the investigation, said: “Jason’s death tragically illustrates the awful consequences that carrying weapons can bring – a young man’s life has been cut short in its prime and Jason’s family and friends have been left to deal with the pain of this loss.

“In addition, a teenage boy will now spend time in prison as a result of his actions that night.”