Teens Jailed for Cowardly Machete Murder of Daejaun Campbell, 15

In a stark ruling at the Old Bailey, two teenagers faced justice for the brutal killing of 15-year-old Daejaun Campbell in a gang-related machete attack in south-east London.

Imri Doue, 18, from Woolwich, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years, while his co-accused, Marko Balaz, 19, from Abbey Wood, was found guilty of manslaughter and received an 11-year sentence.

A third defendant, Jacob Losiewicz, 18, was acquitted of murder charges, marking a significant distinction in the court’s findings.

The attack, which unfolded on Eglinton Road in September 2024, saw Daejaun ambushed in a calculated assault. Doorbell footage captured Doue and Balaz entering a nearby residence moments before Daejaun passed by, visible through the windows.

The defendants, clad in dark clothing, with Doue wearing a balaclava, emerged shortly after. Eyewitnesses described a chilling scene: Daejaun running up a path, pursued by two males, as a female voice shouted that he had been stabbed. One witness reported hearing the teenager’s desperate screams for help as the blade struck.

Prosecution evidence revealed Daejaun was carrying money and possibly crack cocaine, though the motive for the attack remained unclear, with links to street gang culture suggested.

The court heard that Daejaun, described as having been drawn into a life where carrying a knife was commonplace, pleaded for his life during the attack, his words a haunting testament to the violence that ended his life.

Judge Sarah Munro KC, in her sentencing remarks, highlighted the tragedy of young lives lost to such cycles of violence, noting that the defendants had robbed Daejaun of any chance to escape his circumstances.

Daejaun’s mother, Jodie Taylor, confronted the defendants in court, labelling them as lacking remorse and condemning their actions as cowardly. Her statement, delivered outside the courtroom, underscored the ongoing scourge of knife crime, though she expressed dissatisfaction with the sentences, arguing they failed to reflect the gravity of the loss.

Shalina Brown, speaking on behalf of the family, issued a broader critique of systemic failures, pointing to the deaths of Daejaun and his friend Kelyan Bokassa, a 14-year-old aspiring rapper fatally stabbed months later, as evidence of unchecked violence tied to gang exploitation.

The case, steeped in the complexities of youth crime and gang influence, has drawn attention to the challenges facing London’s justice system.

As the Old Bailey proceedings concluded, the convictions of Doue and Balaz signal a firm judicial response, yet the unresolved questions surrounding the motive and the broader societal context ensure this case will remain a focal point for legal and public discourse.