Why did he do it? Over the last few weeks, many of us have asked that question following a series of horrifying acts of violence that have been difficult to comprehend.
Why was 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose fatally stabbed at a school in Sheffield? Why did Axel Rudakubana slaughter three girls at a children’s dance class in Southport last summer? And why did the father and stepmother of ten-year-old Sara Sharif abuse, torture and murder her?
Violent deaths are so shocking and alarming it’s natural that we search for explanations. But in the early stages, as details are pieced together and information about suspects isn’t known or publicly available, those answers often can’t be found. It’s not until the case comes to court that the full story can be told.
For two years I’ve been collecting details of court cases to try to understand more about why people kill. My focus was on London, where every year there are between 100 and 150 homicides – about 20 per cent of the annual total across England and Wales. I gathered information from 147 cases from January 2023 to December 2024, where defendants had been convicted of, or sentenced for, murder or manslaughter, over the deaths of 157 people.
Five of the court cases were about killings in the 1970s, 80s or 90s, but the vast majority concerned people who had died in the last five years. Most of the information came from official press releases distributed by the Metropolitan Police at the end of court proceedings, with other details from judges’ sentencing remarks and media reports. I don’t claim that every murder and manslaughter case in the capital over those 24 months has been covered but I believe the research has captured most of them to give an insight into patterns of homicide.
The most striking finding is the large number of killings perpetrated by gangs or groups of three or more people. Out of the 147 murder and manslaughter cases I looked at, 51 were gang or group-related – 35 per cent of the total – the largest category by some distance. The next most common type of killing was domestic abuse and family-related violence, comprising 18 per cent of cases, with non-gang confrontations and revenge attacks making up 14 per cent. Drugs were directly responsible for 8 per cent of killings, 8 per cent centred around a robbery, burglary or fraud. In 5 per cent of cases, the mental illness of the perpetrator was the key factor.
The prevalence of lethal gang violence is particularly troubling. There has rightly been much coverage about gangs across the country who have groomed, abused and raped girls, but the violence meted out on boys and young men by groups of other males deserves urgent attention too. Over the two-year period in London, 145 individuals were jailed for murder or manslaughter following gang killings, with a further 24 convicted of other linked offences.
In at least 14 of the cases, the main reason was rivalry between gangs or a row over territory. The murder of 18-year-old Abubakarr ‘Junior’ Jah, who was shot and stabbed in Newham in April 2021, was typical. Detectives said Jah’s two killers did not know him but had ‘set out that day on a “rideout”, intent on carrying out the most brutal act of violence against anyone they believed may be linked to rival gangs.’
A further nine gang killings revolved around a dispute about drugs. Among them was the case of 43-year-old Naython Muir, who was ambushed and stabbed with a Zombie-style knife, after being used as a ‘pawn by a drugs line’, according to police. Three men were jailed for murder and one for manslaughter. Other gang killings appeared to be acts of vengeance for a slight or an attack that had taken place before, while some occurred as part of a spontaneous and unplanned confrontation between different groups. Gang culture is embedded in parts of London and other cities too; addressing the reasons which propel young people towards gangs and disrupting their activities before they escalate must now be a priority if we’re to combat serious violence and knife crime.
What the research also reveals is a significant gap in our knowledge about motive. In 11 homicide cases, 7 per cent of the total, there was no explanation at all for what had happened. The terrible case of 20-year-old Jamie Gilbey is one example. His dismembered body was found in bags in South Norwood Country Park in 2022, but police were unable to fathom any reason for the murder, even though they managed to secure the conviction of the man responsible.
So it was with dozens of other cases I looked at, including many of the gang killings. Police made no reference to a motive when the court case concluded and if they did it was along the lines of, ‘We’ll never know why it happened’. It wasn’t just that the perpetrators refused to provide a motive, it simply wasn’t necessary for police to find one in order to solve the case. Instead, the investigation focused on locating witnesses, gathering CCTV footage, analysing data from mobile phones and comparing DNA and fingerprints from the crime scene with the profiles of suspects.
That single-minded determination to follow the evidence helped bring offenders to justice in the 147 cases I examined. But because police didn’t know the full background of many of the killings they missed out on potentially vital intelligence. A better understanding of the motive for an attack, the circumstances leading up to it and what the trigger was could help prevent further crimes, by ensuring resources and services are directed at those who pose the greatest threat.
It might also provide some answers for those of us struggling to make sense of the recent acts of violence that have cost so many young lives and affected countless others.
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