Five jailed after man stabbed to death in Leicester | News

Tributes to Junior Osborne were paid by his family

A group have been jailed for a total of almost 50 years for their role in murdering a man in Leicester’s Narborough Road.

After being identified through extensive CCTV inquiries, they were all charged in connection with his death and convicted last month following a five-week trial at Leicester Crown Court.

Today, a 16-year-old boy – who can now be named after reporting restrictions were lifted – was jailed after being found guilty of murdering Mr Osborne and possessing a bladed article. Nero McLean, of Upperton Road, Leicester, was jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years.

Four others, who were found guilty of manslaughter and possession of a bladed article, were all sentenced to eight years in prison. They are Nevardo McLean, 16, of Upperton Road, Leicester; Theobald Budzwa – known as Thendo – 18, of Ash Court, Groby; Moises Steiner, 18 of Dovedale Road, Thurmaston; and James Williams, of Pelham Way, Leicester.

Mr Osborne, who was in his 50s, was cycling along Narborough Road when he was stopped and stabbed in the neck shortly after 9.30pm on September 27 last year. He was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary but died about an hour later from his injuries.

An investigation, led by officers from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) Major Crime Squad, focused on collecting CCTV footage which pieced together the group’s movements in the hours leading up to Mr Osborne’s death – as well as the attack which has place:

Detective Inspector Mark Parish, of EMSOU, was the senior investigating officer. He said: “As I said previously, I believe this was a planned and coordinated attack to kill Junior.

“Detectives from the Major Crime Squad must go to great credit and praise for the effort they put in to sift through hours of footage to identify the group, as well as our colleagues in uniform for their efforts both at the scene and in arresting all those involved , as investigations continued.

“We hope today’s result helps to boost public confidence in the Leicestershire team and the work we do to bring criminals to justice.”

Following today’s sentencing, Junior Osborne’s family released the following statement:

“Junior was a family man who will be missed by all of us. He was born and raised in Montserrat in the Caribbean and loved his sports.

“He came to the UK in 1997 after the volcano on the island started erupting two years earlier, meaning he had to flee from home. He left his family behind and came to the UK to rebuild his life – a life that was cruelly taken from him.

“Although life was not easy, he had a family and children who loved him. He was a smart person who would go above and beyond to help others and he made many friends along the way.

“Even though he wasn’t perfect, he didn’t deserve to die in such a tragic and horrific way. It was taken from us in cold blood. Losing Junior has left a huge void for all of us and a huge hole in our hearts. He was a much loved husband, father, brother and stepfather.

“His kids won’t be able to see him again and he won’t be able to see his daughter graduate or walk her down the aisle.

“The recordings of his last moments were difficult for us to see. While we are right for Junior, no sentence will bring him back. However, hopefully the streets are a safer place now that those who took him from us won’t be roaming the streets anytime soon.”

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