James, then 16, now uses a wheelchair after being thrown from his bike and repeatedly stabbed by masked men in Brixton on February 23, 2021. The Old Bailey heard that James was the innocent victim of a gang stabbing. Leon Rashid, 20, from Thornton Heath, and Taiquane Lewis, 19, from Kennington, south London, were each convicted of conspiracy to murder, with minimum terms of 14 and 13 years respectively. James was testing a bike for his mother near his home when the masked men threw him off the bike and stabbed him multiple times. After the attack, the teenager shouted “call my mum, call my mum” before collapsing. The court heard the defendants, who had previous convictions for carrying knives, discarded a collection of knives after fleeing, including a combat knife, a Rambo-style knife and a zombie-style knife. During the hearing, a pre-recorded video was played in which James asked why the defendants targeted him and if they now “feel bad.” She said: “When I was being stabbed by these people, I remember shouting for my mum and begging them to stop. I don’t remember much and was incommunicado for six months after the attack. “Since the attack, my life has changed. They stopped me from driving, going on my first holiday with my friends to celebrate my 18th birthday, coaching gymnastics, working and becoming a music producer as I was studying this at college.’ She described moving away from Brixton, leaving behind friends, neighbors and “everyone I knew” and said she now needed full-time care. “I was left in a non-electric wheelchair. I rely on everyone to move me – I have no independence. Now I have a brain injury because my heart stopped for almost an hour. I don’t think I will ever be able to work or study again. “I didn’t deserve this. I didn’t have any problem with anybody… I just want to know why they attacked me and if they feel bad about what they did.” He added: “I am grateful that the doctors saved my life, but living like this is difficult. I miss my friends, I miss my old life. Every day I wake up knowing that this is how I will be forever.” James essentially died for almost an hour before doctors revived him and spent 174 days in hospital. His family have spoken of their determination to help prevent more innocent victims of knife crime. James’ aunt, Rachel Duncan, said James was a “victim of a broken society”. “Our community needs healing, care and hope [that] we can overcome this evil that has plagued the community,” he said. His mother, Lisa Bascoe-Smith, said her son “had no problems with anyone in the area” and was “a happy boy, always smiling”. The court was told that 12 “high damage” gangs had been identified in Southwark and Lambeth, with knife crime returning to pre-pandemic levels in the area. Prosecutor, Edward Brown KC, said: “It is outstanding [James] he’s here to tell the story.” Bascoe-Smith was present at the Old Bailey with family and friends when the sentence was handed down. During sentencing, the judge, Ian Bourne KC, said: “No one can fail to be deeply moved by the devastating impact the life-changing and tragic events of 23 February 2021 have had, not least on James Bascoe-Smith but his family, his friends and the wider community”.
