{14 year old Kevin Ssali stabbed to death}
{{A court in UK has today sentenced to fourteen years in prison a teenager who stabbed to death another 14 year-old teen born to Rwandan mother and Ugandan father.}}
Roree Cox now aged 18 years, from Wardalls Grove, New Cross, was found guilty of murdering Kevin Ssali 14 years after stabbing him on a bus in Lee Green in a dispute over a woolly hat on September 15 2012.
Kevin’s father Sewa Ssali says parts of the trial were “horrific” but its conclusion has helped provide closure and he is “thrilled” his son has been exonerated.
He added; “The trial was quite lengthy, but we are absolutely thrilled that at least Kevin has been exonerated because there was this issue that he was the tormentor.
“At the end of the day, this was a complete fabrication. It was the other way round. They bullied him. It was horrific to hear some of these things in the trial.
“Last time I said that there were lots of things that were haunting us and things unanswered, but actually quite a lot of information came out during the trial so it’s a very big relief and it provides some closure to the whole episode.”
{{Background}}
{Sewa Ssali pictured with his wife Erone and children Tim Ssali and Sara-Marie Ssali}
Before his stabbing to death, Kevin Ssali lived with his Rwandan mother Clemence Mudage in South Norwood, and commuted to Eltham, had been missing for two months before the attack.
Kevin’s father who temporarily lives in Lee High Road, claims his son turned up at school shortly after he went missing but his family were not told and he was allowed to leave again.
He said: “They just let him walk out of the school. Nobody knew where he had been staying for that week. What kind of responsibility was that?”
{{The Attacker}}
Cox ran onto the 202 bus, which had been travelling down Burnt Ash Road, brandishing a knife before stabbing Kevin once on the top deck. He denied murder but jurors unanimously found him guilty on January 15.
Speaking of Cox, Mr Ssali said: “I have no vengeance. I forgive him, it is up to him to come to it now himself.
“It is a terrible tragedy because these are kids who under normal circumstances should be playing together, contributing to society.
“We all as a society have got to sit down and question ourselves and think what is it that we are not doing right that our kids are ending up in a situation like this.”
He says the death of inspirational leader Nelson Mandela during the trial helped him with his attitude of forgiveness and hopes to work towards preventing further tragedies happening.
Kevin, who had two half brothers Tim Ssali, 25, Bobby Gillam, six, and two half sisters Sara-Marie Ssali, five, and Anne Ssali, 36, dreamt of becoming a bank manager.
{Roree Cox stabbed to death Kevin Ssali on a bus}
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