Two convicted of murdering teenager in Tottenham

Two teenagers have been convicted of murder following the fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old who was trying to act as peacemaker during a fight in Tottenham.

Ali Tasyurdu, aged 18 of Islington, and a 16-year-old boy who cannot be named, were found guilty at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday, 25th February of the murder of Nikolay Vandev in March last year.

They were also convicted of causing grievous bodily harm to a second 19-year-old man. The pair had previously pleaded guilty to possession of a knife. They will be sentenced on Friday, 1st April.

Detective Sergeant Brett Hagen, from the Metropolitan Police, said: “This was a needless and brutal murder stemming from an online social media feud about a girl.

“The fact that such a basic disagreement or dislike for another person can so quickly escalate to extreme violence is beyond concerning.

“A fight picked online during lockdown has resulted in the loss of Nikolay’s life, another man being stabbed and the ruin of two teenagers’ lives; they will now face a considerable time in prison.

“It is my sincere hope that other young men, who make the choice to carry a knife, can learn from this tragic incident.

“Nikolay had never been in trouble with police, he was not armed himself, and was merely trying to intervene in this fight as a peacemaker.”

Nikolay’s 19-year-old friend had an ongoing dispute with Tasyurdu on social media relating to one of them not accepting that a relationship had ended. On 7th March 2021, threats were exchanged, with Tasyurdu being encouraged to go to Tottenham.

On 8th March 2021 – the day that schools reopened following lockdown – Nikolay’s friend was on his way to college near White Hart Lane Station when he was approached by the suspects and punched in the head. A fight broke out and he was also stabbed in leg before jumping over a nearby wall in order to escape.

As he ran off, he heard his friend Nikolay, who had quite clearly been a peacemaker throughout the incident, shout that he had been stabbed.

At this point the suspects fled the scene and returned to the younger suspect’s home where they both changed clothes and walked towards Tottenham Marshes to discard a Rambo knife used in the attack.

Despite the efforts of emergency services, Nikolay died at the scene at 2.28pm. A post-mortem examination conducted on 10th March 2021 found the cause of his death to have been a stab wound to the aorta.

Detectives launched a murder investigation, and on 8th March 2021, Tasyurdu, who was 17 at the time, was arrested at his home address on suspicion of murder after he confessed to a family member that he had killed someone. Prior to his arrest he had been planning to leave the UK to travel to Turkey in order to evade capture.

He was taken to a North London police station where, on 9th March 2021, he was charged with murder and was remanded for court. On the same day, a search warrant was executed at the home of his then 15-year-old accomplice. He was not at the address and a family member claimed not to have seen him since the day of the murder.

He later handed himself at Wood Green Police Station where he was arrested on suspicion of murder. He was charged on 10th March 2021 and remanded to court.

During the course of the investigation two identical knives were recovered. One at the scene, which was found to have Tasyurdu’s DNA on the handle. The second was found by a dog walker at Tottenham Marshes and was found to have DNA from Nikolay’s friend’s blood inside the sheath.

Detective Sergeant Brett Hagen added: “My thoughts are with those family members who now have to cope with the long-term effects of this senseless incident. In particular, the family of Nikolay Vandev, who have remained dignified throughout what was for them a harrowing trial, which repeatedly featured CCTV of their son’s murder. My thoughts are with them today.”