Gang members who stabbed innocent Afghan refugee to death jailed for life

Two gang members who stabbed a 16-year-old Afghan refugee to death after mistaking him for a rival have been jailed for life.

Vanushan Balakrishnan and Ilyas Suleiman, both 18, knifed Rishmeet Singh 15 times in a frenzied 27-second attack in Southall, west London, on November 24, 2021.

Two years earlier, Rishmeet, a Sikh, had fled his homeland with his mother and grandmother after the Taliban killed his father and tried to kidnap him and convert him to Islam.

‘They came here to seek a safe life,’ Judge Sarah Munro KC said in her sentencing remarks. ‘With hindsight, that decision to move will haunt Rishmeet’s mother and grandmother for the rest of their lives.’

Balakrishnan and Suleiman, from Hillingdon, west London, were found guilty of murder following an Old Bailey trial in March.

In a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, Judge Munro handed Suleiman a minimum term of 21 years and Balakrishnan at least 24 years.

Balakrishnan was also detained at his majesty’s pleasure for a minimum concurrent term of four years for a second offence of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He had admitted attacking a fellow inmate at a young offender’s institute while on remand, leaving the victim with severe brain damage.

Judge Munro said: ‘This case is yet another tragic example of the needless loss of a young teenager following a violent stabbing on the streets of London.

‘This case is the more tragic because Rishmeet was an entirely innocent victim.

‘He was described as a good person who would not hurt a fly. He was never involved in any kind of violence. It defies belief you two sought him out to kill him.’

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Vanushan Balakrishnan and Ilyas Suleiman, both 18, knifed Rishmeet Singh 15 times in a frenzied 27-second attack.