Murdered boy had turned other cheek

A MURDERED teenager, described as a "gentle giant" by his parents, had tried to avoid a fight minutes before his death, it emerged yesterday.

The attacker ordered Jimmy Mizen, 16, to leave a baker's shop so that he could fight him, but the teenager refused.

But after initially leaving, the murderer then smashed his way back into the store in south-east London and delivered a fatal blow.

Jimmy was reportedly struck with a glass dish against the side of his neck and bled to death in front of one of his brothers.

Police said post-mortem tests confirmed Jimmy's neck had been cut by glass.

The 6ft 4in member of Sidcup Rugby Club, who was also a regular church-goer, died the day after his 16th birthday. He is the 13th teenager to be murdered in London this year.

The incident happened at the Three Cooks bakery in Lee, south-east London, at around 11:50am on Saturday as Jimmy, who lived with his family nearby, was on his way to buy his first Lottery ticket to mark turning 16.

But an argument broke out and Jimmy was eventually declared dead at the scene.

His devastated family, including father Barry, 56, mother Margaret, 55, and Jimmy's six brothers and two sisters, paid tribute to him.

Mr Mizen, the vice-chairman of governors at Jimmy's school, St Thomas More Catholic comprehensive in Eltham, described his son as a "gorgeous and loving boy" with a sense of decency who adored his brothers and sisters and "wasn't afraid of hugs".

And Mrs Mizen said: "He was the loveliest, gentlest giant. He was loved by everyone, by his school, the church and his family."

A two-minute silence was held yesterday at Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Lee, where Jimmy had been an altar boy and was baptised. One of the altar boys for the Mass was his eight-year-old brother, George.

Jimmy's other brothers are Danny, 30, Billy, 28, Tommy, 26, Bobby, 24, and Harry, 18. His two sisters are Joanne, 35, and Samantha, 21.

Afterwards, parish priest Father Edward Perera said the service had been overwhelming. He said: "I have never seen a parish so numbed and shocked."

Outside the church, Conor O'Hehir, 16, who had known Jimmy since the age of three, said: "He was a brilliant lad and friend and he's going to be greatly missed."

And in a television interview later, Mrs Mizen said she felt sorry for the killer's parents. "I don't feel anger, I just feel sorry for the parents, because we've got lovely memories of Jimmy. They will have such sorrow about their son … We've got wonderful memories of Jimmy that will go on for ever."

Flowers have been laid at police cordon points around the bakery as forensic investigators continued their examination of the scene.

Al Patel, who works at Lee Pharmacy, next door to the bakery, said a teenage boy had been asked to leave the shop and had then smashed the window with an A-board sign from outside.

Jimmy had intervened to try to calm the situation, he said.

Mr Patel said: "It's sad, it's a real tragedy. I really feel for the parents."

Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons said: "This is another tragic incident where a young victim has lost his life, and our sympathies are with his family and friends.

"There was an argument between Jimmy and the suspect, following which Jimmy was assaulted and he sustained serious neck injuries."

He added that it was an unprovoked attack which was not gang-related, and said the attacker used excessive violence against Jimmy before running from the scene.

'HE WAS JUST A GOOD GUY'

JIMMY Mizen was murdered just days before he was due to leave school – his last day was to be today, after which he was to embark on an apprenticeship with Southwark Council.

Catherine Busby, 87, a neighbour who has known Jimmy's family for 30 years, said he had planned to cut her grass yesterday. She said: "He was a beautiful boy, they're a beautiful family."

Jimmy's brother Danny said: "Jimmy was the life and soul of the family. He was just a good guy, really enthusiastic in everything he did and always had time for all of us."

Phil West, the president of Sidcup Rugby Club, said: "Jimmy was a very, very nice lad. That's all I can say really. They're a very, very pleasant family indeed. We used to joke that when we had a function on Danny would always produce two or three tables of people."