Two drug dealers who stabbed an aspiring lawyer to death in a case of mistaken identity have been handed life sentences for his murder.
Rashid Gedel and Shiroh Ambersley were among a group of six young men who targeted 22-year-old Sven Badzak and his unnamed 16-year-old friend in an eight-second “gang-style attack” as the victims returned from a trip to Waitrose, the Old Bailey heard.
Mr Badzak fell to the ground and was repeatedly stabbed during the incident in Kilburn, northwest London, in February 2021, while the teenager was also attacked but managed to run to a nearby supermarket for help.
Image: Rashid Gedel was convicted of murder. Pic: Met Police
Prosecutor Anthony Orchard KC said neither victim was a gang member or associate but appeared to be the “unfortunate victims of mistaken identity”.
Gedel, 22, and Ambersley, 23, were found guilty last month of murder and wounding with intent.
They were each acquitted of attempted murder of the 16-year-old but both convicted of wounding with intent.
Gedel, from Ilford, and Ambersley, from Wembley, were both jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years.
Image: Shiroh Ambersley was also found guilty of murder. Pic: Met Police
Sentencing, Judge John Dodd KC described the attack as “brutal, savage and swift”.
“Sven Badzak was clearly a decent young man. He was 22 when you attacked and killed him.
“It’s clear that he’d done absolutely nothing wrong on that February day.”
Mr Badzak’s mother Jasna, a former Conservative Party activist, attended the trial by video link after it was delayed due to industrial action by barristers last summer.
Following her son’s murder, she shared pictures on Twitter of him as a child with then prime minister Boris Johnson, former chancellor George Osborne, and ex-PM David Cameron, alongside a plea for help.
‘More than the apple of my eye’
In a witness statement read to the court, Ms Badzak described her son as the “kindest person to walk the earth”.
“For me Sven was everything, my reason to live, my only child, more than the apple of my eye, my love, my full support, my best friend.”
She thanked jurors for “their hard work and diligence in reaching the rightful verdict of murder” after the defendants were convicted in July.
Ms Badzak also vowed to “fight till the end of her life” to secure “Sven’s law” – to ensure anyone found to be in possession of a knife is handed a mandatory 20-year sentence.
Image: Boris Johnson and Sven Badzak as a child. Pic: Twitter/JasnaBadzak
Image: George Osborne with Sven Badzak and his mother, who is a former Conservative Party activist. Pic: Twitter/JasnaBadzak
The mother of the 16-year-old victim said he is suffering PTSD, night terrors and flashbacks and has “withdrawn completely socially”.
“These people robbed me of my son and have left an empty shell behind, a damaged boy I no longer recognise.”
Since the verdict was delivered, the family has had to relocate and change their names due to “ongoing threats”, she added.
Victims ‘wholly unaware’ of what was about to happen
The court heard Gedel and Ambersley had admitted previously carrying knives and drug dealing in the area.
Gedel had four previous convictions for carrying blades dating back to 2014. After his arrest in March 2021, a hunting knife was seized from his bedroom wardrobe.
Ambersley also had a conviction for possession of a blade, two offences of threatening with an offensive weapon in a public place and affray, and possession of drugs.
They had gone to a bakery looking for other young people to attack minutes before the murder and approached Mr Badzak and his friend as they returned from the Waitrose in Finchley Road.
Image: Sven Badzak’s mother shared a photo of her son with David Cameron. Pic: Twitter/JasnaBadzak
“Sven Badzak and his friend were wholly unaware of what was about to happen,” Mr Orchard told the jury.
Mr Badzak was stabbed in the chest, dropping his shopping bag as he fled and collapsed, the court heard.
Mr Orchard said the victim was kicked, punched and stabbed four times during the attack
Both defendants, who were identified on CCTV, admitted being at the scene but denied they were carrying knives that day and claimed they were only there to sell drugs.
A third defendant, Harvey Canavan, 19, from Maida Vale, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and unlawful wounding.
He was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for manslaughter and 15 months to run concurrently for unlawful wounding.
A fourth defendant, Lior Agbayan, 20, fled to the Ivory Coast and has not returned, jurors heard.
The remaining two suspects have not been identified, the court heard.
A man has died after suffering cardiac arrest onboard a boat attempting to reach the UK.
The vessel turned back towards Equihen beach on the French coast yesterday morning.
A nurse tried to resuscitate the man but was unsuccessful.
Image: Pic: PA
French authorities have now launched an investigation into the circumstances.
A spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, has criticised authorities on both sides of the Channel.
Jacob Burns said: “Yet again we have a tragedy in the Channel, that is the consequence of the deadly, costly and ineffective security policies implemented by the UK and France.”
Image: Pic: PA
Later on Saturday, a lifeboat carried migrants who have made the voyage into the Port of Dover.
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Photographs showed them huddled under blankets and orange life jackets on board.
“The opportunity of tomorrow and what’s on offer is the best thing in football,” the England captain said. “I think we don’t necessarily carry the weight of it and how much it means to people, but we’re aware of it because it means the same to us.”
So often they were only watching other nations making finals.
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England’s first was the men winning the 1966 World Cup.
Image: England manager Sarina Wiegman reacts to defeat against Spain at the Women’s World Cup final in 2023. Pic: Reuters
Image: Lauren James looks dejected after their World Cup defeat, but is confirmed fit for Sunday’s revenge match against Spain. Pic: Reuters
Now, in Basel, comes the chance for revenge against Spain – even though no one in the England camp is saying that, publicly at least, in Switzerland.
Especially knowing how challenging a task it is coming up again against Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putella – the recent winners of football’s biggest individual honours.
Image: England fans celebrating after England beat Italy to reach the finals. Pic: Reuters
Image: Given England’s history against Spain, it could be a nerve-wracking time for England fans. File pic: Action Images/Reuters
But this is Spain’s first Euros final.
And there is some fear from the world champions at England’s grit and resolve to produce comebacks late in the quarter-finals and semi-finals – with 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang’s goals integral to the fightbacks.
Image: England celebrate their semi-final win against Italy to reach the finals. Pic: Reuters
Image: Michelle Agyemang has propelled England to the Euro 2025 final with two vital goals. Pic: AP
Spain captain Irene Paredes reflected yesterday on how the Lionesses can flip a result late on.
But she was also discussing how their World Cup win was tarnished by the on-pitch kiss that led to former Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales being convicted of a sexual assault on striker Jenni Hermoso.
It sparked a wider clamour in Spain for improved rights and respect for women.
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Spain’s players struggle for respect
“Since then [2023] we took big steps forward,” Paredes said.
“I think this idea is disappearing from society. I still believe we have to continue opening doors… we’re a reference for boys and girls in society, but we still have things to do.”
It is a reminder that while tonight is about collecting silverware, both England and Spain know that emerging as champions can drive further growth in women’s football back home.
Amid it all, they’ll try to savour just what reaching a final means and how rare they are – until recently for English and Spanish women.
A woman who thought she was being injected with Botox was left unable to swallow and doctors thought she had suffered a stroke – after she contracted a life-threatening illness from a potentially illegal product.
Nicola Fairley is one of dozens of people who have developed botulism linked to unlicensed anti-wrinkle injections.
She had the procedure done with her regular beautician after winning a Facebook competition for three areas of “Botox”.
Image: Nicola Fairley
“Within two or three hours my forehead and the sides of my eyes had started to freeze,” Nicola says.
“At first I thought ‘amazing’, that’s what I wanted – then it just carried on.”
Nicola was eventually sent to A&E in Durham, where she met several other patients who all had similar symptoms.
Doctors were stumped. “They thought I’d had a stroke,” she says.
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“We all had problems with our eyes, some of us with our breathing. I couldn’t swallow – they put me on nil by mouth because they were worried I would choke in the waiting room.”
Image: Doctors were worried Nicola could choke after she was injected with a suspected illegal product
It turns out all of the patients had recently had anti-wrinkle injections containing botulinum toxin.
Health officials believe they were imported, illegal products.
Botulism – the disease they caused – is so rare many doctors never see it in their entire careers.
It can cause symptoms including slurred speech and breathing problems, and can be deadly.
The disease is so unusual, and so many cases were coming in, that doctors exhausted their stocks of anti-toxin and had to ask hospitals as far away as London to get more.
The UK Health Security Agency has so far confirmed 38 cases of botulism linked to cosmetic toxin injections, but Sky News has been told of several more.
The outbreak began in the North East but cases have now been seen in the East of England and East Midlands as well.
There are only a handful of legal botulinum toxin products in the UK – of which Botox is one.
But cosmetic treatments are largely unregulated, with anyone allowed to inject products like fillers and toxins without any medical training.
Cheap, illegal products imported from overseas are easily available.
Image: Dr Steven Land
‘It’s the Wild West’
Dr Steven Land runs Novellus Aesthetics clinic in Newcastle upon Tyne. He worked for decades as an emergency medicine doctor before moving into aesthetics.
He says he has been warning health officials of an outbreak for years.
“It’s the Wild West,” Dr Land told Sky News.
“Because anyone can do this, there is a lack of knowledge around what is legal, what’s not legal, what is okay to be injected.
“These illegal toxins could have 50 units, 5,000 units or rat poison – there could be anything in there.”