The mother of a London knife crime victim has paid a heartbreaking tribute to her son after his teenage murderer was sentenced to life in prison.
Kamari Gordon, 17, of Brookdene Road, Plumstead, must serve a minimum of 17 years for the murder of 18-year-old Aron Warren in Greenwich in December last year.
Mr Warren’s mother, Lorraine Donovan, said after the sentencing at Kingston Crown Court on Thursday: “As a mother you would never expect to be burying your son, let alone standing in a court talking about his life.
“Aron had a good heart and I’d often say to him when he was going out with his friends, don’t be foolish with your money. He would say: ‘Ma, I can’t leave one person out just because they didn’t have any money.’ That’s the type of person Aron was. He would never want to see anyone without.
“The future was so bright for him, he had the world at his feet and it was just taken away from him and me.”
Gordon was convicted of murder in June, as well as for possessing of a knife in public.
The court heard Gordon stabbed Mr Warren twice at his home address in Prior Street, Greenwich, before taking multiple items including two knives and a Rolex watch.
Gordon, who was 16 at the time of the murder, was identified as being outside the victim’s third storey flat at least five minutes before the offence took place.
He was also seen acting aggressively by showing off a large knife – later established as being used to murder Aron – and threatening that he was going to “see Irish”, referring to the victim who was of Irish descent.
Mr Warren was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers later recovered an iPad from Gordon’s home address which had a photo of him posing with the watch belonging to Mr Warren. It was taken only five hours after the murder.
Det Insp Brett Hagen, of the homicide and major crime team, said: “Gordon is a violent individual who committed this murder at the age of just 16.
“He will now have a long time to reflect on his actions that day and I hope this sentence brings some form of closure to Aron’s family.”
The defendant was found not guilty of robbery.
