Two teenagers have been handed life sentences for the murder of an innocent 16-year-old in Southall they mistakenly believed to belong to a rival gang. 

Vanushan Balakrishnan, 18, of Waylands, Hillingdon, and Ilyas Suleiman, 18, of St Jeromes Grove, Hillingdon, were sentenced at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, 10 May for the murder of 16-year-old Rishmeet Singh. 

Balakrishnan has been given a life sentence and will serve a minimum of 24 years, and Suleiman has also been given a life sentence and will serve a minimum of 21 years after both were found guilty on Monday 6th March. 

During their initial trial, the court heard that Rishmeet had just left his friends after an evening in Southall at around 9pm on 24th November 2021 and was walking home when two unknown males came running towards him.  

Rishmeet ran back towards his friends and shouted "run, run", ran down Raleigh Road, Southall, but tripped and fell and was stabbed in the back at least five times by one of his pursuers and then then other stabbed him at least ten times.  

His attackers fled the scene, and a member of the public called for an ambulance, but despite their best efforts he died at the scene at around 10:08pm. 

Detectives from the Specialist Crime Command launched an investigation and after extensive CCTV enquiries, found that Balakrishnan and Suleiman had spent the day at a flat in Austin Road, Southall before leaving shortly before 8.50pm, they changed their clothes, armed themselves with knives, put their hoods up, covered their faces with covid-masks, which the jury heard was in a bid to hide their appearance as they had intended to go out and commit murder. 

They cycled to the canal, where it is thought they saw Rishmeet, dropped their bikes and pursued him on foot, they were captured clearly on CCTV as they fled the scene, clearly identifiable due to distinctive clothing and covid masks. 

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Prior to his arrest on 2nd December 2021, on 28 November 2021, Balakrishnan wrote a note on his phone saying: "Saw news statement it says a good yute but he was out with paigions [enemies.]" 

"Stupid media it was a glide not for some stupid s*** he wears" 

A 'glide' is entering gang territory with the intention of using violence against a rival gang. 

Also, on Balakrishnan's mobile phone was an image of a long knife on his bed with what appears to be blood on it – taken at 20.19pm on the day of the murder. The knives were never recovered by officers. 

Suleiman went into hiding and was reported missing by his mother two days after he was not found after a search of his home on 2nd December 2021, before eventually being arrested in Edgware on 9th December 2021.