KYRON Lee limped away as quickly as he could, before being surrounded by four men carrying 18-inch machetes and menacing knives.
Moments earlier, the 21-year-old, from Slough, Berks, had been deliberately knocked off his bike by the attackers in a stolen car, slashed at and chased down the street.
The group, later revealed to be part of the Chalvey Boyz gang, stabbed Kyron 14 times in the chest, arms and head before leaving him to bleed to death on the curbside on October 22, 2022.
Thames Valley Police had no leads upon finding the 21-year-old’s body apart from CCTV footage showing his faceless killers, who were all wearing masks and hoods, and a car with a cloned licence plate.
After a tireless investigation, which is revealed in the new Channel 4 documentary Catching A Killer: Stab In The Dark, they brought six people to justice – including two who fled overseas – who have been sentenced for more than 100 years in prison.
The programme, which airs tonight, shows some of the ways cops were able to identify suspects from surprising details including flashy trainers, a bizarre claim about flogging clothes on Snapchat and a screenshot on one of the killers’ phones.
It also hears from family members including Kyron’s mother, Donna, who issues an emotional warning over the worrying rise of violent crime involving machetes.
Donna tells the show: “They ambushed him. It wasn’t a one-on-one, it was four with knives, they were going for him and he had no chance. They ambushed him like a lamb to the slaughter.
“These youngsters think it’s normal to go out and carry machetes, and of course, if they’re going to carry it, they’re going to use it.
“Youngsters don’t really think before they act and then it’s too late. Kyron had so many dreams and aspirations, it’s just not right.”
Detective Chief Inspector Mike Rodd said: “This investigation has been one of the biggest that Thames Valley has taken on in recent times.
“Day one of this investigation we had a dead body, a stolen vehicle, and some CCTV of a group of lads that had disguised themselves.
“From there, 20-odd people arrested, double figures charged and more importantly who did it. That’s a huge achievement.”
Here we analyse the case, including the disgusting lies spun by one of Kyron’s killers, and exclusively speak to the victim’s brother, who gave insight into why the stabbing may have occurred.
Chilling footage showed the last moments of Kyron, who after being struck by a car was stabbed and then tried to flee as his killers pursued and ended his life.
After attending the crime scene, where large blood splatter marks stained curbs and a courtyard in Cippenham, Slough, officers reviewed video evidence from the scene.
One Thames Valley Police officer told the documentary: “I’ve never seen so much blood.”
Another added: “Terrifying. It’s such a gratuitous attack. There’s no doubt they were intending to inflict unsurvivable injuries, which they did.
“It’s definitely one of the most, if not the most, brutal murders I’ve seen.”
Soon after, a member of the public reported the Volkswagen Golf, which had been used in the killing, was abandoned in a nearby car park.
Forensic tests would find Kryon’s blood inside the car and an 18-inch machete hidden in undergrowth down a nearby street.
Intelligence would reveal a previous altercation between Kyron’s younger brother, Donny, and a man named Khalid Nur, 22, which was cited as a potential reason for the killing.
Analysing bank records, they found Nur had booked two flights – one to Istanbul and another to Marrakech – but managed to arrest him outside Gatwick Airport before he was able to board.
Additionally, his transactions revealed a booking at a Travelodge in Slough, which had the address of an individual named Mohamed Abdulle, 20.
Abdulle managed to flee to Calais via the Eurostar before travelling on to Belgium and then the Netherlands.
In his police interview, Nur refused to answer questions. Later, officers found a screenshot of a car ad for a Volkswagen Golf on his phone that would link him to the murder.
Showing him a photo of the stolen 2009 Volkswagen Golf used in the attack, they said: “Why was that advertisement on your mobile phone? Did you wish to purchase that vehicle? If you’ve got an explanation tell me.”
Nur remained silent. Later, forensics would reveal his DNA on the machete found in the overgrowth and its sheath.
It’s slightly ironic, his own CCTV footage is helping us make a case against him
Thames Valley Police officer
Nur’s bank records showed he had visited a fried chicken shop shortly before the murder.
CCTV footage gave clearer images of Abdulle as well as a third suspect nicknamed ‘Mr Long Coat’, whose clothing matched that seen in video showing the build up to Kyron’s murder.
“Murderers don’t change their shoes,” one investigator said, while comparing them to those in the murder footage and noticing their similarities.
“The shoes are going to be quite relevant because of what we have at the scene.”
Yahqub Mussa, 21, was identified by police intelligence – including phone data that showed his mobile was switched off during the time of the killing, like the other attackers.
He was arrested in Heathrow Airport trying to flee on a flight to Ethiopia. During an interview, Mussa spun a story to try to protect himself.
“I feel sorry for Kyron,” Mussa said, despite having stabbed his victim. He claimed he was leaving the country because he was “so scared for my life” but insisted he was “not involved in gang life”.
He added: “I got stabbed here (pointing at his head and arm), stabbing is something I don’t want to be a part of I swear down.”
However, Mussa would be linked to the crime by his own Ring doorbell footage, which showed him on the day of the killing wearing a shiny black puffer jacket and tracksuit bottoms with a white stripe that matched one of the suspects.
“It’s slightly ironic, his own CCTV footage is helping us make a case against him,” one officer remarked.
They ambushed him, it wasn’t a one-on-one it was four with knives, they were going for him and he had no chance. They ambushed him like a lamb to the slaughter
Donna, Kyron's mum
In what was branded “a farcical story” by police, Mussa claimed to have flogged the outfit to someone on Snapchat, explaining: “I gave that (sic) clothes away that day. I put these up for sale and that.”
When asked why he was wearing the items, he said: “I had clothes underneath… I’m not going to go and give them a £600-£700 jacket with the £200 tracksuit.
“I’m not going to give it to their hand because I know people from my area that have been stabbed over designer clothes, that’s why I wanted the clothes to be on me”.
By analysing Nur and Mussa’s phone data, cops were able to identify Elias Almallah, 20, and Fras Seedahmed, 17, as associates who had their phones switched off at the time of the killing.
Almallah had been able to catch a flight to Madrid but Seedahmed’s phone had been traced to student accommodation in Portsmouth.
Police descended on the housing at 1.50am hoping to catch him by surprise – only to discover he was not present at the flat.
CCTV footage showed he had been tipped off and had fled down a corridor with another man, Mohamed Elgamri, 18, who was wearing a dressing gown and later identified as ‘Mr Long Coat’.
Seven weeks after the killing, Elgamri and Seedahmed handed themselves in. Abdulle was arrested in the Netherlands and extradited back to the UK. Almallah returned to British soil in 2023 and was arrested.
Further investigation before the trial would revealed Abdulle supplied the weapons but did not commit the attack. Seedahmed was the driver and the rest carried out the harrowing killing.
The exact reason why Kyron was killed is unclear, but according to DCI Rodd it was a “revenge attack” after a member of the Chalvey Boyz was assaulted.
He told the doc: “Khalid Nur gave us a little bit more, he’s clear they went out hunting that night for members of the opposition in relation to an assault that previously occurred.
I’m not the perfect mother… I’ve made mistakes, I’ve made terrible decisions but I’m sure Kyron loved me and I loved him
Donna, Kyron's mum
“In Khalid’s words they went out ‘looking to f*** somebody up’ and that’s exactly what’s happened but it’s still not clear why Kyron was targeted.
“There are a number of hypotheses – that he was the intended target; he wasn’t the intended target but they came across him and just thought they’d have him instead; and it could well have been mistaken identity as well, they may well have thought he was Donny.”
Kyron’s family insist he was not part of a gang, but did tell The Sun that he was a drug dealer, who got into the illegal trade to help support his family after his “mum went downhill”.
His brother, Kaselle Lee, 24, who moved out of the family home at 15 to live with his dad, tells us: “Kyron kind of fell into dealing because of the housing situation.
“Mum wasn’t using her money to look after our brothers, he found himself having to take responsibility and be the man of the house.
“He used the money to buy baby formula, food, clothes and to try to repair the house so that it was safe for one of our brothers, who was taken away by social services, to return home.”
In the documentary, Kyron’s heartbroken mum Donna admitted she had made mistakes but never expected her son to be ripped away from her.
She said: “I’m not the perfect mother… I’ve made mistakes, I’ve made terrible decisions but I’m sure Kyron loved me and I loved him.”
Thames Valley Police confirmed Kryon was involved in “low-level criminality” and that he was “not a perpetrator of violence”.
One of the investigators added: “Kyron didn’t see his bottom line as drug dealing, it was a means of getting through the bad times for a better future.
“There’s having the will to change your future and there’s having the means. The sad point is that it was too late.”
Kryon’s friend Jack told the documentary that he “knew what he was doing wasn’t great” and wanted to stop dealing.
Speaking to The Sun, Kaselle added: “Part of me always worried something would happen to Kyron… he had been in trouble with the police but it was low-level criminality, his crimes weren’t of a big scale.
“He was just trying to get by and didn’t want to get involved with gang affiliations. He didn’t get involved but he did hang around with people affiliated to gangs.
In Khalid’s words they went out ‘looking to f*** somebody up’ and that’s exactly what’s happened
DCI Mike Rodd
“He was trying to leave that life. He was looking for a job, trying to get qualifications and started playing football again.
“I believe he wanted something different and he didn’t want that life, he didn’t want it long term, he was just making money to build himself a platform and a foundation to step away.”
On the night of the murder, Kyron had been dealing. Next to his body was a rucksack with “a very large amount of cash and lots of cannabis deals”.
It is not believed his dealing was related to the killing; rather, it was his affiliation to gang members of a group known as ‘C block’ who were rivals of the ‘Chalvey Boyz’.
In three separate trials, which lasted more than 10 months, six people were found to have been involved in Kyron’s murder. Of the four who have been sentenced, collectively they will serve a minimum of 97 years.
Outside court, Donna insisted “no sentence will be enough” for what happened to her son and added: “Nothing prepares you for losing a child.
“I never in a million years thought this could happen. It’s a sad state of affairs. I don’t know why they did it. Was it worth it?”
Kyron’s brother Kaselle, who lives in Brighton, says people can find themselves at risk just by “hanging around with someone” affiliated with a gang and “you suddenly find yourself within them”, adding: “It’s like a domino effect”.
He is considering training to become a social worker in a bid to help those involved in gangs and drugs after his experiences.
He says he “has empathy” for the families of the young men and teens who were sentenced for killing his brother, but is unsure if he will ever be able to forgive them.
By Sam Webb
COUNTY lines is a sinister drug running technique that gangs are using to sell drugs in other towns by exploiting kids and vulnerable adults.
The advantage to dealers is they can sell drugs outside the area they live in – often impoverished towns – and therefore reduce the risk of getting caught.
A criminal group may also target a vulnerable person living in an area outside of London and other major cities and take over their home as a base to sell drugs from.
Boys aged 14-17 are the most often targeted, however girls can also be exploited, often starting a relationship with a gang member that can lead to sexual and domestic violence.
Adults who are drug addicts or have learning difficulties are also targeted.
Gangs use a combination of violence and intimidation and the offer of money or drugs. The use of debt is a common feature in the exploitation of children and adults.
Children are often groomed by a criminal who will give them money and gifts like clothes and mobile phones.
The thugs will then tell them they owe the group money and have to work off the debt.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has also had reports of kids being robbed of drugs by the very gangs they work for in staged robberies. They then believe they are in debt to the group.
However, some take part willingly to earn cash – one British police force reported that a child had received £500 per week as a runner.
Kaselle adds: “One of the murderers was the little brother of someone in my school year.
“I acknowledge that the families will lose out on their relationships with their children because of what they have done and empathise with them. It will affect a lot of people and those around them.”
Yahqub Mussa, 21, will serve at least 23 years in prison after pleading guilty to murder.
Khalid Nur, 20, Mohamed Elgamri, 18, and Fras Seedahmed, 17, who were found guilty of murder at trial, will serve a minimum of 26 years, 25 years and 23 years, respectively.
Elias Almallah, 20, who was found guilty of murder, and Mohamed Abdulle, 20, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, are yet to be sentenced.
Catching a Killer: A Stab in the Dark airs at 9pm tonight on Channel 4 and can be streamed afterward online.
