Victim of 'barbaric' Kilburn stabbing, 22, named after weekend of London knife attacks
7 February 2021, 18:23 | Updated: 8 February 2021, 08:23
The 22-year-old victim of a "barbaric" stabbing in Kilburn has been named as Sven Badzak after a series of brutal knife attacks across London.
Mr Badzak, reportedly a train driver and an aspiring lawyer, had been on his way to Waitrose with his friend to pick up orange juice when they were set upon by a group.
It is understood he was chased down the street by the men before falling to the ground and was savagely attacked with a knife.
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His friend, who remains in a critical condition in hospital, was able to find cover in a nearby shop before officers turned up at around 5.30pm.
Formal identification is yet to be fully complete but the Metropolitan Police were able to confirm it was Mr Badzak and said his next of kin have been informed.
Chief Inspector Guy Ellwood from the Met Police's North West Basic Command Unit said: “This was a barbaric attack in a public place and the community will be rightly shocked.
"As a result you will see more officers on the streets over the remainder of this weekend and the coming days. If you have any concerns then please speak to them.
“I would also appeal directly to the community – violence of this nature has no place on our streets."
A murder probe was launched hours after the incident, with homicide detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command investigating.
Detective Chief Inspector Darren Jones, who leads the investigation, said: “At this early stage we believe Sven and his friend became involved in an altercation with a group of males.
“As this group chased the pair, Sven and his friend became separated. Sven fell to the ground and was attacked by a number of the group.
"His friend was also attacked but managed to seek sanctuary in a shop – however, he remains critically ill in hospital.
“Our thoughts are with both families of these victims who must be enduring unimaginable pain at this time; I want to assure them that we will support them throughout this investigation and that my team of highly experienced officers will be working tirelessly to locate and apprehend those responsible for this horrific attack.
“I would also appeal to anyone who was in or around the Willesden Lane and Kilburn High Road area at the time and may have witnessed this incident involving the victims and suspects to get in contact.
"If you were a road user and have dash cam fitted in your vehicle then please check this as you may have captured a part of this which could help our investigation.”
