Murdered man, 19, was too ashamed to go to police over ‘controlling and coercive’ girlfriend, mother reveals

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A teenage boy who was stabbed to death by his abusive girlfriend felt “too ashamed” to go to police over his treatment, his mother has revealed.

Kamila Ahmad, 24, from Mitcham, fatally stabbed the 19-year-old, Tai O’Donnell from Croydon, south London, on 3 March 2021.

She was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years at Croydon Crown Court earlier this month, convicted of murder as well as grievous bodily harm for the attack on a previous boyfriend.

Her claims of self-defence were rejected by the court who heard she left Mr O’Donnell bleeding to death on a sofa and failed to call an ambulance.

Ahmad already had 11 convictions to her name when she murdered Mr O’Donnell, including battery, robbery and assault, The Times reports.

His mother Stacey O’Donnell told the newspaper of how the relationship between the pair saw Mr O’Donnell become increasingly isolated and withdrawn.

Ms O’Donnell said: “I’d seen his stress. But I made the wrong assumption that it was just an average toxic relationship. There was nothing average about it. It was serious abuse. My son did not want to die.”

She said Mr O’Donnell had felt too embarrassed to tell police that he was being attacked by his girlfriend.

“Tai wasn’t a timid boy,” she said. “He had a strong spirit. Never in a million years would I have thought that he would end up in a situation like this.

“He was a young, popular boy, he didn’t want to be seen as someone who was being terrorised by a girl. He was embarrassed.”

Mr O’Donnell had been a student at Croydon College when friends introduced him to Ahmad. Then 22 years old, Ahmad was still on licence for an offence of robbery and possession of a bladed article.

Two months passed and Mr O’Donnell confided to his mother that Ahmad would “kick off” over minor issues, although he attempted to joke about it.

As more time passed, it became increasingly clear he was not allowed to see friends without his girlfriend’s blessing or stay out without her say-so.

On one occasion, he called his mother in the night frightened after Ahmad began banging on his front door. When family arrived, Ahmad was inside and Mr O’Donnell insisted everything was okay.

Not long after, Ms O’Donnell spied bite marks on her son’s neck, and Ahmad also used a brick to smash her way into their home.

His mother claims Ahmad would threaten suicide each time her son talked of ending the relationship and had threatened to “shank [stab]” him at other times.

On March 2, she went to see her son and his girlfriend in their home and told them to end their “toxic” relationship, telling them: “The two of you are not good for each other.”

As she bid her son goodbye for what would be the last time, she said: “It’s killing me to see you living like this.”

The couple were overheard arguing later that evening and CCTV caught Ahmad swinging her bag in the street and hitting Mr O’Donnell in the face.

At 3.27am, Ahmad messaged a family member saying she had “stabbed someone” and “no one is helping me clear him up”.

A neighbour called police at midday and officers found Mr O’Donnell’s body at the scene. A pathologist judged that had an ambulance been called, Mr O’Donnell probably would have survived his injuries.

Ahmad then lied to police, insisting she was a younger sister of a neighbour and had nothing to do with the deceased. However, officers found a bloodstained jacket and rucksack, which was linked to the scene by DNA.

Judge Peter Gower said: “It demonstrates with chilling clarity how highly dangerous a young woman you are. You were indifferent that he died and have shown not the smallest bit of remorse.”

The judge also rejected Ahmad’s narrative that she was the victim of domestic abuse in the relationship, describing her behaviour as “controlling and coercive”.