Age: 18
Sex: male
Date: 16 Apr 2018
Place: Chestnut Avenue, Newham, London
Sami Sidhom was stabbed in Chestnut Avenue in Newham shortly before 11pm on Monday 16 April 2018.
Ten people were arrested during the police investigation but no charges were made.
He had been walking home after watching a West Ham vs Stoke City match at the London Stadium. He had got a bus back with a friend but had got off at Romford Road by the junction with Woodgrange Road from where he was to walk home, a distance of about half-a-mile. He had gone along Sebert Road at about 10.30pm and turned left into Cranmer Road and then turned left into Capel Road and then crossed over into Chestnut Avenue.
CCTV footage showed a small silver or grey car approaching the end of Chestnut Avenue where Sami Sidhom was shortly after which the same CCTV showed him running off back into Chestnut Avenue whilst being chased by three men who were followed by the same silver car.
After Sami Sidhom was stabbed the small silver car and another car were seen to drive off.
The silver car was thought to be an Audi A3 Mk1.
It was thought that there had been four people involved, the driver of the silver car and the three people that got out to attack Sami Sidhom.
He had been stabbed in the back multiple times as well as in the groin. After being stabbed he cried out, 'Please help me, I’ve been stabbed'. Neighbours were said to have then gone out and try to stop his bleeding.
He died 45 minutes after being stabbed.
One person that tried to help him said, 'He was mumbling incoherently. It was horrific and traumatic'.
His father said that he had been waiting for Sami Sidhom and when he noticed the blue lights of the emergency services outside in the street he went out to find that Sami Sidhom had been stabbed and was with him when he died.
It was thought that he had been a victim of mistaken identity.
The police said that the weapon had not been recovered but that it was thought to have been a long thin bladed knife.
It was noted that when he had got to the end of his road that it appeared that he chose instead to take a long way round and it was thought he had done that because he had seen a fight in Avenue Road and had wanted to avoid it by going round. It was thought that the fight was between two rival gangs, one gang in a silver car and the other in a black Mini car. However, it was when Sami Sidhom got to the top of his road on the other side of the fight that he ran into the small silver car which then stopped and the people in it got out and chased him into Chestnut Avenue where they killed him.
He had been stabbed about 10m from his home.
The police said that they thought that the small silver car had first arrived in Avenue Road shortly before where they had got out of the car to attack a rival group in a black Mini car. They said that after that that the small silver car drove along Chestnut Avenue and then left into Capel Road at which time they spotted Sami Sidhom and got out to chase him.
The police noted that one person had contacted Crime Stoppers anonymously before with several tips that were described as very specific and detectives said that they were appealing for that person to come forward as they felt that they might have vital information that would help them identify the murderers. The police said, 'I urge anyone who has information about Sami’s murder, but in particular the person who has reached out anonymously before to provide key information, to contact us'.
His murder was re-enacted on TV on the programme Crimewatch on the BBC in a bid to develop new leads.
Of the ten people that were arrested, two were released with no further action to be taken whilst the other eight, aged 15 to 22, were released under investigation.
The people arrested were:
Sami Sidhom had been studying law at Queen Mary University. He was an only child. He had been a keen West Ham fan and had a season ticket.
see Newham Recorder
see Evening Standard
see BBC
see Daily Mail
see Independent
see London Bulletin
see The Sun
see YouTube
