Powerful words of Irene Muthemba in court

My name is Irene Muthemba, I am Eddie’s mum. Just in case you’re wondering who I am. I have waited patiently for 858 days to address you. Since the 21st of July 2023, day this nightmare began for my family and I and for many others who knew and loved him.

For the record I will say your names just this one time, so you can be sure that I am addressing you, Zachariah Talbert Young and Paul Elijah Hayden. In honour of my son Eddie and for Nathan whom you tried to kill by the grace of God he survived.

That Friday night, the 21 July 2023 was the first day of the schools break, the peak of summer which was Eddie’s favourite time of the year, it was just an ordinary day. We would have interacted with each other as a family like we always did and I am especially grateful that I always told him that I love him everyday. After every phone call and every time he went out that door. It has always been something I taught my children to do. I truly thank God for that.

When you and your friend rode off into the night heading towards your auntie’s house in Tudor Road, Eddie’s friend frantically knocked my door and blurted out those heart wrenching words that no mother should ever have to hear.

Our whole lives were shattered into a billion pieces in that moment.

The sound of her voice so horrified, it is forever etched in my mind. So many lives traumatised forever because of you.

When I got to Eddie I hit the concrete so hard on my knees, in my nightwear, that my knees bled. They’re still scarred today. But I’m not standing here to tell you how much pain you caused us by committing these abhorrent and atrocious crimes that ended my child’s  life and almost took another. You already know that.

“Convictions are not an achievement”

This is not the tribute you are expecting. I’m not here to describe Eddie to you, because you didn’t know him at all and you don’t deserve to know him. You already know what you and your friends have done. As a matter of fact I hope that as the reality sinks in for you now, you may consider telling the truth about who your pillion passenger is, because he isn’t a stranger to you, and you both knew exactly what your intentions were. I can hope of course, I have been told that you’d rather eat sand than tell the truth. You go down alone for Eddie, but for Nathan you can stay inseparable as always. I can live with that, but still I want you to never forget that your actions were deplorable and cowardly. Convictions are not an achievement.

In just three seconds you chose to deprive us of many years of love, hopes, dreams, memories, milestones achievements and joy. Eddie deserved to grow and learn from his mistakes like everyone else, he deserved the chance to discover the world and find his purpose and his place as a man. And even though you denied him the chance to do that, his memory will remain sacred and divine. God received him, the moment he gave his life to Christ. He is loved with an everlasting and infinite love that you cannot begin to comprehend and don’t have the capacity to understand. His legacy will live on, in the achievements of those who will choose love over hate. So whether you like it or not Love wins.

As I’m standing here to talking to you, I would kindly request that you to tell your friends, who seem to think what you did is cool, that it is NOT. Tell them it’s pathetic, sad and weak. Tell them instead of hiding behind their keyboards on social media to troll me, typing “16” on my tributes to my beloved child and trolling my younger child, to taunt him over losing his brother at eight years old, they can do better.

You can’t break us anymore than you already tried. Our love is unbreakable.

Tell them that it is shameful and disgusting behaviour. Tell them to have some respect. I may not know who they are now, but it’s not impossible to identify keyboard bullies. Tell them carrying knives is not cool, because once you’re sitting behind that plexi-glass there’s no balaclavas to obscure you from our eyes.

“Choose love and life over hate”

But even behind bars, you two can choose to become positive influences, Inspire the next generation to focus on their education, instead of idealising you for being monsters.  They can choose love and life over hate. They can learn to resolve differences without weapons. You can encourage your youngers to take their studies seriously, go to college / university and become barristers so our black youths can get a chance to sit on this side of that glass.

Tell your followers, whom because of you may think that this deplorable act of violence you committed is some kind of achievement, it is NOT! It is utterly reprehensible and unforgivable.

They should be inspired instead, to go to med school, so they can become healthcare professionals, first responders. Instead of subjecting our young children to unspeakable trauma. This country needs more Black doctors, nurses or surgeons to save lives. We don’t need more criminals and convicts.

We have seen enough bloodshed on our streets and should all be outraged.  We should stand together against this evil, instead of your parents and families being obligated to come here day in day out to stand by your terrible choices that cost a precious life, my child’s life, and scarred Nathan’s for life.

Eddie is a treasured member of our family whom we’ll forever hold in our hearts and in the hearts of those who knew him and loved him.

Just imagine if your parents had gone out of their way to buy you those suits to celebrate your graduation? Instead of buying them for a murder and attempted murder trial? But now, you can be sure you won’t be needing them for a very very long time. You can be sure that you have some time to lose sleeping in your cell beds, thinking about your life choices. You can be sure it’ll be years before you can sleep on a king bed and you can be certain that you won’t be taking that holiday to Northern Ireland anytime soon or Marbella for that matter. As the reality hits harder than you anticipated that a life sentence is not something to be proud of. You will have a life sentence to consider what you should have done differently.

We don’t wear purple as a mark of allegiance to any gang, we wear purple because it was one of Eddie’s favourite colours. Purple, yellow and grey. Eddie was sure that he was deeply loved and always supported.

And even though you robbed him of his future and his chance to learn from some mistakes like every young person has a right to, and though you denied him a chance to rise and shine in his music that he was so gifted at, you can never take away the fact that he was Talented, Godsent, Chosen.

You didn’t even know him and your hate was so misdirected. He wasn’t your enemy. He grew up surrounded in love and he showed it everywhere he went. His last moments as captured on that CCTV seemed relaxed, happy, laughing and joking with his friends.

He may not be here in person, but his legacy will live on through the lives saved by your convictions. You don’t get to put any other family through what you put us through. You took his life, so now he takes your freedom.

Now every time your head hits the pillow in those prison cells you will get to call home for a long, long time remember this, you won’t be sleeping at Carlisle Road for a very long time and you won’t be dashing over to your cousin’s yard at Tudor Road anytime soon.

“There are no winners here”

 We both lost. There are no winners here, in your meaningless street beef. And EK will always be the one that took you down. Remember his name. He did not die in vain, he has actually proved that you’re not that fearsome after all.

My daily devotion on 20 of November, was this in Matthew 19:26: “With man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.”

He proved it, the day you were convicted of your crimes. Eddie and Nathan took you down like David took down Goliath. You may be six feet tall, but you are NOT bigger than our God.

His word says this, in Job 12: v 13 and 14: “But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his. What he destroys cannot be rebuilt. When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape.”

Right now you’re young and still defiant, and my words are meaningless to you but I’m certain that with the benefit of time your wisdom grows. Then you truly realise the depth and the magnitude of what you did.

One day, when you’re ready, I would like you to tell me personally why you took my son’s life. In your own words.