A man suspected of killing a teenager may have fled the country after police officers failed to alert border and immigration officials of his identity.
Ilyas Habibi was attacked just minutes after leaving Sutton train station on December 5 last year, suffering a fatal knife wound to the neck as he walked home from college.
However, the main suspect in the murder was able to leave the UK via Gatwick Airport four days later, with Mr Habibi’s family saying a “computer error” had allowed him to escape.
The man is believed to have fled to a country in the Middle East and has not been named at the request of the Met Police.
In an even more chilling twist, the family said the alleged killer had recently been in contact with Ilyas’ older brother, joking about how he left the 17-year-old to “choke” on his own blood.
Talk to The IndependentMr. Habibi’s sister said: “I just want to think about who killed my brother. The police don’t even connect, someone is killed and they don’t care.
“We want to know what steps he took, but he didn’t tell us, I’m really surprised. How did he get away after four days? He killed my brother outside the railway station and next to the police station.
“They told me that there was an error in the computer and that’s why the border and immigration were not notified. They knew who it was two days before he left the country – they went to his house, but he had already left.”
The Met Police have refused to respond to claims the suspect may have fled the country due to a computer error.
A 19-year-old man was arrested in December on suspicion of assisting an offender but was released on bail, with Mr Habibi claiming his family had not been informed of the investigation into the individual.
Emergency services were called to Sutton High Street shortly after 7pm last December, after Ilyas was found with serious injuries.
Investigations revealed that he had been “engaged in an altercation” with the suspect who fled the scene, with Ilyas dying moments later.
Speaking about the terrifying moment he discovered his brother had died, Mr Habibi said: “I was at work and my father called me at 9.30pm and said Ilyas was not at home. He was never late, the only day he was late was the day he died.”
He asked his parents to wait another hour before contacting the police, assuring them that Ilyas might be with friends. However, just 10 minutes later Mr Habibi received a message from the doorbell camera, which showed two police officers outside his family home.
“The officers were rude,” he said. “He asked if my parents were related to Ilyas, then he just said, ‘Ilyas has been stabbed and is dead’. No filter, no sensitivity.
As a result of the ongoing trauma of losing Ilyas and the lack of progress in the investigation, Mr Habibi said he now suffers from mental health problems while his mother has PTSD.
Her confusion and devastation was only compounded after she was contacted on Snapchat by her alleged killer.
In the text message the noise is seen by Independent, Individuals mocked the loss of blood and sent laughing emojis about Ilyas’ knife wounds.
“I have been with the police but they have not told me what happened,” said Mr Habibi. “I can’t answer, I’m just surprised. How can we kill people and talk freely and laugh about it?”.
While he was informed by the Met Police that the killer appeared to be waiting for Ilyas in Sutton, he still “doesn’t understand” why the Arsenal-loving teenager was targeted.
“He’s a good guy, he’s really good, always focused on football and he studied construction in college,” he said.
“One day, he just disappeared. He woke up to go to college and never came home, it was shocking. I still can’t accept that Ilyas is dead and I won’t do it.”
A Met Police spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with the Ilyas family at what we know is a very difficult time.
“The investigation into his murder remains open and we continue to work with our international partners to locate and arrest the suspect, who we know traveled abroad on December 9.
“A dedicated family liaison officer is in constant contact with the family to provide support and provide updates on the investigation.”
