Pictured: victim, 17, stabbed to death in Croydon, the 21st teenager killed on London's streets this year

School photo of teenager Aren Mali when he was 11 years old, as former headteacher pays tribute
Aren Mali was found suffering serious knife injuries in Croydon town centre, he is pictured here aged 11
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

This is the first picture of a teenager stabbed to death outside a shopping centre in south London.

Aren Mali, 17, was found suffering serious knife injuries in Croydon town centre on Sunday night.

He was given first aid by police officers but died before paramedics could arrive.

The photograph was taken when Aren was an 11 year old pupil at St Joseph’s primary school in West Norwood.

His former head teacher Tamsyn Lawlor said: “We were so saddened to hear of Aren’s death. It’s just really shocking.

Murder: A witness described seeing the devastated family of the teen arriving at the scene (NIGEL HOWARD ©)
NIGEL HOWARD ©

“We remember when he was here, he was a really able boy and always really smartly dressed.

“We want to extend our thoughts and prayers to his family, especially his mother who had a strong relationship with the school. It’s just incredibly sad.

He is the 21st teenager killed on the capital’s streets this year. Fifteen were stabbed to death.

Aren, a former student at Thomas More Catholic School in Purley, was studying a business course at Kingston College and played for a Whyteleafe football blub side in South Croydon, friends said.

Cordon: Forensic Officers investigate the scene in Croydon, south London (NIGEL HOWARD)
NIGEL HOWARD ©

One teammate paid tribute to a “good guy” who was “not the kind of person to start any trouble”.

Friends gathered in North End last night to lay flowers and light candles at a makeshift shrine,

“He was very friendly and enjoyed playing with his friends. It’s just really odd to think of him in this situation. His former year six teacher was really upset at school when she heard.”

Murder: The teen is believed to have been stabbed to death on the pedestrianised street
NIGEL HOWARD

On Facebook Sharon Morgan wrote: “This child Aren Mali was in my daughter’s class. She describes him as being really pleasant and jovial.

“A normal boy with no links to gangs or drugs. Hope his murderer is caught forthwith, before another life is taken.”

Witnesses said his parents rushed to the pedestrianised street outside the Whitgift shopping centre to find their son lying dead in the street.

After his death local MP Sarah Jones demanded “action not words” on knife crime.

The Croydon MP said: “We await more details but, time and time again, we’ve said ‘enough is enough’ as knife crime has doubled in a year.”

Highlighting the rising numbers of stabbings of young people in London and across the UK, she said knife crime had become “a public health crisis”.

She called on the Home Secretary Amber Rudd to launch a 10 year plan to tackle the problem.

Police continue to appeal for information about the murder. There have been no arrests.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT