Killer jailed for stabbing innocent boy, 16, to death in bid to steal his phone
A teenager who murdered a 16-year-old boy after he stood up to him during a gang robbery in Tottenham has been jailed. Stelios Averkiou, 16, had been fatally stabbed three times in his thigh after he slapped Kyi-Reice Sylvester, 18, who was trying to steal his phone.
He collapsed to the ground and was transferred by air ambulance to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel at about 2.10pm on August 1, 2021. Sadly, he died nine days later as a result of his injuries.
Following an Old Bailey trial, Sylvester, of Cheshunt, was found guilty of murder and was today (January 20) jailed for 19 years. Leon Gruber, 18, of N18, was acquitted of murder but had previously pleaded guilty to four separate counts of robbery and has been locked behind bars for 34 months.
READ MORE: First photos of scene after schoolboy, 13, knifed by London Underground station

Jurors heard that Stelios had been sitting with two friends on a bench at Lordship Lane Recreation Ground when they were approached by Sylvester and Gruber at around 2pm. They proceeded to try and rob them, with Sylvester taking his phone which led to a verbal altercation.
Stelios resisted and Sylvester slapped him around the face, causing his victim to respond by hitting him in the cheek. Armed with a large knife, Sylvester stabbed Stelios three times after he tripped against the edge of the bench, causing an 18cm wound to his thigh.
Gruber tried to take a phone from one of Stelios’ friends and stole a bike from the other before the two fled. The London Ambulance Service were called at 2.09pm and alerted police officers, who found the teenager bleeding heavily from his leg wound.
They tried to stem the bleeding and medics from the London Air Ambulance performed emergency surgery at the scene before transporting to hospital. He died on August 10 having never regained consciousness.
Sylvester and Gruber were arrested after Met Police officers traced the movements of their mobile phones, with telephone data placing them at the scene of the stabbing. CCTV footage also showed the two suspects fleeing the scene with Gruber riding away in a bike belonging to one of Stelios’ friends.
Sylvester was quickly identified as a suspect and officers discovered that he had been recently arrested in the company of Gruber for a number of knife-point robberies. He presented himself at Wood Green Police Station and replied ‘no comment’ to all questions.
There was no dispute the defendants robbed Stelios of his mobile phone and his friend’s bicycle or that Sylvester stabbed him. Sylvester had denied meaning to kill or cause really serious harm and Gruber denied encouraging the violence.
'He was there one minute, gone the next'
Stelios’s mother, Maria Averkiou, said: “My family has been ripped apart by an act of senseless violence. Stelios was doing nothing wrong. He was a 16-year-old boy with his friends in a park. I cannot begin to understand how one person could do that to another. Our hearts are broken.”
On the impact on Stelios’ family, he quoted his mother as saying: “It was not as though he had a long term illness and we had the chance to care for him and say goodbye. He was literally there one minute and gone the next.” As he was sent down, a member of the victim’s family called for him to “rot” in jail and left the courtroom screaming.
DCI Rawlinson, added: “Tragically, another young life has been cut short by people who carry knives. Stelios’s family has been through hell, from the moment the attack took place, through his time in hospital, his death and concluding with the trial. It is my sincere hope that his loved ones find a measure of comfort in that verdict. My thoughts are with them.
“I would like to thank the members of the public who came forward to help us with this investigation. We understand how frightening it must be to witness an incident of this nature but the public’s help is essential to keep our communities safe and we have special measures we can use to help protect the brave people who come forward.”
Want more from MyLondon? Sign up to our daily newsletters for all the latest and greatest from across London here.
READ MORE:
Read More
Related Articles
Read More
Related Articles
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rsXLqKWdp55ju6bD0milnq%2BjZLuwvtOhZKWnnpm8r3nNnq6sZ5ueua2x0WahmqGcmrFuv9OamZ2nnZa2r6uWZqCnpp%2BYsq%2FAjJumsmVia310gJBybg%3D%3D