The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared in court today (Monday, January 9) and admitted to killing Jermaine Cools. Jermaine, 14, was stabbed multiple times outside Cash Converters on London Road near West Croydon station around 7p.m. on November 18, 2021. He drove himself to the hospital, where he bled to death. His assailant, who was 16 at the time of the murder, appeared in front of Judge Sarah Plaschkes and admitted to the crime. Jermaine’s mother, Lorraine Dudek, previously said “He was the head of our family for a 14-year-old. He looked so mature. He was a typical 14-year-old, always cheerful and smiling.” Lorraine described Jermaine sitting on his bed with his mother, laughing and smiling, just hours before his death. Lorraine never saw her son again after she left for work at midday. He was stabbed to death after going to a takeaway shop for food, according to her. Jermaine was one of 30 teenagers killed in London by knife or gun crime in 2021, the highest number ever recorded in a single year; he was also the youngest of the 30.
