Taye Faik Enfield stabbing: Two men jailed after teen killed

Taye Faik, 16, was walking his dog and fled towards his home when he was attacked by two people who got out of a waiting car on October 1 last year.

Police were called to reports of a stabbing in Kendal Gardens, Enfield, at 11.27pm and despite the efforts of emergency services, Taye died at the scene.

Witnesses reported hearing the attack and seeing the car driving at speed as it left the area.

Taye made it back to his house where he collapsed in the hallway, fatally injured.

Taye Faik (Image: Met Police)

Two Enfield men, Bernard Carroll, of Church Street and Josiah James Semper, of Cromie Close, were found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on October 16 this year.

On October 22, both men were sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum term of 22 years.

Detectives quickly began to piece together the events of that evening, initially using CCTV to plot the movements of a car that the attackers had used.

This car was later found abandoned in a nearby car park – it was on false registration plates and had been stolen a couple of weeks earlier.

Bernard Carroll (Image: Met Police)

20-year-old Carroll was arrested on November 6 last year after officers tracked him down to an address in Edmonton, although he refused to answer any questions about the attack on Taye.

19-year-old Semper had fled to Antigua shortly after the murder, but was arrested when he returned to the UK on November 17 last year.

Josiah James Semper (Image: Met Police)

Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, led the investigation. She said: “This was a shocking and brutal attack on a teenage boy who was yards from his front door.

“Semper was armed with a flick knife and inflicted the fatal wound, while Carroll drove the car to Kendal Gardens, fully in the knowledge that Semper was armed and in no doubt that significant violence would take place. It was evident from the investigation that there was a significant degree of planning involved.

“Taye’s family have had to endure the trauma of losing him and then hearing evidence of the attack throughout the trial process.

“While nothing can be done to ease their pain, I hope that the fact Carroll and Semper have been held to account for their part in Taye’s murder brings them a small degree of comfort.”