The murder 24 years ago of 10-year-old Damilola Taylor was one of the most shocking events of this century, bringing to the forefront of the UK public consciousness the very real dangers of knife crime. Speaking after the passing last week of Damilola’s father Richard Taylor, John Boyega felt motivated to finally speak openly about his friendship with Damilola, who he knew as a youngster in Peckham. John was one of the last people to see Damilola alive before he was fatally stabbed in south London in November 2000.
“From the hours we left him in Peckham to the hours when I went home, and then the police were at our door and there was a whole investigation that we were involved in, was definitely life-changing for me, definitely altered my perspective.”
“Even though I was young, it was a shock to understand how mortality worked. To think that somebody as young as me could pass away in such a horrific way was hard for me to understand or comprehend, and I definitely think [Damilola’s death] has shaped me through the years and just affected my perspective on certain things.”
“I’m quite private in general, but with this specifically, it’s that celebrity thing of not wanting to get in front of very real-life news. Now that he’s (Richard Taylor) gone, if I don’t speak up now, when am I ever going to speak up?”
For the full conversation with John, head to BBC Sounds.
