12 year sentence for woman over Victoria station stabbing (From News Shopper)

12 year sentence for woman over Victoria station stabbing

12:40pm Thursday 26th April 2012 in Crime © Press Association and news reporter

A WOMAN has been locked up for 12 years after the horrific stabbing of a 15-year-old boy in Victoria tube station.

Victoria Osoteku, aged 20, of Brookmill Road, Deptford, was the only female out of the 20 youths charged in connection with Sofyen Belamouadden's death.

She was sentenced at the Old Bailey today (April 26) after earlier being found guilty of manslaughter.

Osoteku had denied the charges, but CCTV footage showed her kicking the boy in the head as he lay dying after being attacked by rival school pupils.

She had also bought a set of kitchen knives which were used to arm boys taking part in the fight - a confrontation she had helped arrange.

The brutal stabbing took place in front of terrified commuters on March 25 last year, leaving Sofyen with fatal wounds to his heart and right lung.

Judge Christopher Moss ordered that Osoteku, who was 18 at the time of the incident, be detained for 12 years. He also sentenced her to eight years concurrently for conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.

The judge said Osoteku must share part of the responsibility for the death because she assisted in buying a set of knives during her lunch hour. A witness said she had been "gloating" about what happened the following day at her sixth form college.

Judge Moss added: "You were seen to deliver the final kick to Sofyen as you were the last of the group to run away."

Osoteku nodded to the judge in acknowledgement before she was led to the cells. She denied the charges during a five-month trial. She said she did not kick the victim and sobbed: "I nudged him with my foot to see if he was OK."

Last week, three youths were given sentences of 18 years each for the promising footballer's murder. Sofyen's father, Abdeslan, 51, said of his son: "He was a star in the making. He was an outstanding all-round player. He was born and bred in London and often talked of his ambition to represent England in the World Cup final."