Jake Fahri was seen smiling after the attack on Jimmy Mizen in 2008 (Picture: PA)
A killer who smirked after slashing a schoolboy to death has been granted parole.
Jimmy Mizen was killed in May 2008 after Jake Fahri hurled a glass oven dish at him in a bakery in south London.
A shard of glass pierced Jimmy’s neck and he bled to death.
The altar boy, described as of ‘immaculate character’ by police, bled to death in the bakery, dying in his brother’s arms.
Fahri was convicted of his murder in 2009 and was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 14 years.
On Monday, the Parole Board made the decision he could be released, with documents detailing how the 34-year-old sentence ran out in May last year.
Jimmy’s mum, Margaret Mizen MBE, said they were struggling to comprehend the news of Fahri’s release.
Mrs Mizen, 70, told the Sun: ‘It’s a very difficult time for us as a family and we need time to take it in but we won’t be beaten by it and Jimmy’s legacy will go on forever.’
Jimmy Mizen, 16, was murdered in a bakery in London and had bled to death in his brother’s arms (Picture: PA)
The Parole Board’s decision summary says Fahri now has a ‘motivation to lead a law-abiding life.’
It reads: ‘The panel found that Mr Fahri had been unable to cope when he felt he was being disrespected, and that he was influenced by anti-social friends.
‘He had poor problem-solving skills and did not think about the consequences of his actions, nor had he understood the impact of his behaviour on other people.
‘Evidence was presented at the hearing regarding Mr Fahri’s progress and custodial conduct during this sentence.
‘He had undertaken several accredited programmes to address key aspects of his offending behaviour.
Jake Fahri, also known as Detz, who was found guilty at the Old Bailey of the murder of the schoolboy (Picture: PA)
‘Having completed all his sentence plan targets, it was noted that there had been no violence for several years and Mr Fahri’s behaviour had been generally good.’
After being released there will be limitations on who Fahri can associate with, where he can live and there will also be an exclusion zone so contact with his victim’s family is minimised.
Fahri, 19 at the time of Jimmy’s deah, had had several run-ins with the schoolboy’s brother, Harry, prior to the attack.
He had entered the Three Cooks Bakery in Burnt Ash Hill, south London on May 10, 2008 to confront the boys.
A fight ensued and Fahri grabbed a glass baking dish which he threw in Jimmy’s face.
According to witnesses, he then exited the bakery with a triumphant grin on his face.
Fahri later handed himself into police custody and told officers: ‘Someone has died because of me. I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean to kill him.’
The attack took place within the Three Cooks Bakery in Burnt Ash Hill, London (Picture: Googlemaps)
Jimmy was the 13th teen to be murdered in London that year.
In the aftermath of the killing, his parents Margaret and Barry set up the Mizen Foundation to spread a message of peace.
They visit schools, churches, prisons and workplaces to talk about Jimmy and build more peaceful communities.
Margaret said on the foundation’s website: ‘After Jimmy died, when the house went quiet, we would be round my kitchen table and we would be sitting laughing about Jimmy.
‘In those early days, we would be laughing as well as crying, trying to make sense of it, but we had a lot of laughter remembering and talking about Jimmy.
‘I meet a lot of families who have lost loved ones to murder, who are driven with anger.
‘But it’s so destructive to the family. People blame each other and argue – but anger is so damaging.
‘The pain it causes on top of the pain of losing a child can destroy families.
‘The day Jimmy died I promised him two things; one, I would keep his name alive and two, I would dedicate my life to working for peace.’
Ministry of Justice has been contacted Metro.co.uk.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Jimmy Mizen, 16, had bled to death in his brother’s arms following the attack.
