Sami Sidhom death: Stabbed straight-A law student had taken new way home from football to avoid fight, police reveal

Victim: Sami Sidhom was attacked in Forest Gate
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A straight-A law student was stabbed to death in an “unprovoked and cowardly” assault after taking a different route home to avoid a street fight, police revealed today.

Sami Sidhom, 18, was walking back from a football match when he was attacked by three men and killed in Forest Gate in April.

Detectives today said they believe he took a longer route home but inadvertently ran into one of the groups involved in the brawl he had witnessed minutes earlier.

The gang mistakenly believed he was from the rival group and chased him down, stabbing him multiple times. Mr Sidhom, who had a place to study law at Queen Mary University of London, collapsed and died just yards from his home after the attack at 10.50pm on Monday, April 16.

The teenager was stabbed to death in April (Stefan Rousseau/PA )
Stefan Rousseau/PA

Today, seven months on, police announced a £20,000 reward to catch his killers and said eight people had been arrested over the murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Wrigley, who is leading the investigation, said that minutes before the stabbing a group of men with baseball bats had attacked another group in two cars in nearby Avenue Road.

Mr Sidhom, who had been to a West Ham game, is thought to have seen the fight and taken a different route to his home in Chestnut Avenue.

DCI Wrigley said: “He did not take the obvious route home and it could be he was a witness to the attack and tried to avoid it. One possibility is that the people involved believed Sami was part of that group.

“This was an unprovoked, vicious and cowardly attack by three individuals who chased a young man down the street.”

He added: “Sami had no links to gangs or criminality. He was a first-year law student and I think he was on the brink of greatness.”

Mr Sidhom had gained top grades in GCSEs and A levels. Dozens of friends and family joined a peace march through Forest Gate in his memory.

His family later issued a statement saying it was “shameful” that people were carrying knives, adding: “Those who are responsible for enforcing the banning of knives in our streets are also responsible for his death.”

Today, his father Samer Sidhom urged witnesses who knew the killers to come forward, saying: “You know who you are and you have a choice. A choice to be someone that hides in the dark or a brave person who sets the record straight.”

He said his “wonderful” son “was a kind young man who always tried to help his family, friends and colleagues and was respected by everyone who knew him. He fought hard to win his place in society and some cowards in the dark stabbed him in the back.”

Mr Sidhom highlighted the £20,000 reward for information but added: “The ultimate reward is that you will get a new life where you know you stood up to the ones who would blindly destroy anything that comes their way.”

DCI Wrigley said his officers needed some “final pieces of the puzzle” to complete the investigation.

The eight people arrested include two teenagers aged 17 and 15, four men aged 22, a 21-year-old and a 35-year-old man.The 17-year-old has been released with no further action. The others have been released under investigation.

Anyone with information should call 020 8345 3715 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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