Two teenagers are to be sentenced after a man was fatally stabbed in Tonbridge.
In the early hours of 19 August 2022, 20-year-old Thomas Waugh was sitting on a bench with two friends in Tonbridge Racecourse Park.
They were approached by two teenage strangers; Rocco Mustafa who was holding a large knife and another teenage boy. Mustafa and his associate threatened the three friends and demanded they hand over their mobile phones.
The victims attempted to negotiate with the pair until Thomas said he would instead pay them some cash, and ran from the scene.
Robbed
In Thomas’ absence, his two friends, fearing violence, surrendered a gold chain, a packet of cigarettes and £5 in cash. At this point Thomas returned holding a stick and caused a distraction to allow his friends to escape.
He then ran towards Avebury Avenue pursued by the offenders who caught up with him in a car park, where he was fatally stabbed in the torso by Mustafa. His friends, concerned for his welfare, returned to locate him but found a member of the public giving first aid until the arrival of paramedics.
Following further treatment Thomas died at the scene.
Detectives were able to prove that Mustafa called his mother, Claire White, on his mobile phone soon after the incident and that she travelled to Tonbridge to collect him. Due to the presence of a large number of police officers in the town she returned home and collected him the following morning.
An investigation was launched by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate and enquiries by detectives swiftly identified Mustafa and the other teenager as responsible for Thomas’ death. They were both arrested on 21 August.
Two days later, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised a charge of murder whilst acting together, for both of them. They were also charged with two robberies and an attempted robbery.
White was also arrested on 21 August and later charged with assisting an offender.
On Friday 27 January 2023, Mustafa from Coulsdon appeared before Maidstone Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to all the charges.
Murder
The teenage boy entered not guilty pleas. He was convicted on Tuesday 11 April of all the charges, including murder, following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.
White, also from Coulsdon, who had pleaded not guilty to assisting an offender was convicted on the same date.
Mustafa, aged 18; White, aged 48, and the teenage boy will be sentenced on a date to be confirmed.
Deplorable
Senior Investigating Officer, DCI Neil Kimber, said: ‘This was a shocking incident in which a young man lost his life due to his concerns for the safety of his friends. His brave efforts contrast starkly with the criminal actions of two teenagers intent on violence.
‘Their appalling behaviour has left a family mourning the needless loss of a much-loved young man with his future in front of him. The conduct of Mustafa’s mother was also deplorable and she should be thoroughly ashamed of her actions. I can only hope the sentences, when they are given at a later hearing, allow the victim’s relatives and friends some closure following Thomas’ tragic death.’