Mother left ‘looking over shoulder’ as son’s killer still walking free

Rene’s murder remains unsolved eight months after the fatal shooting (Credits: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire/ REX)

The mother of a teenager shot to death at Notting Hill Carnival revealed that she is still ‘looking over her shoulder’ as her son’s killer remains free.

Speaking eight months after the attack, Janay John-Francois urged anyone with information which could help find Rene Graham’s killer to come forward.

The 15-year-old was killed in broad daylight in Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park, Ladbroke Grove, west London, on July 21, 2024.

He had been attending a warm-up event for the carnival with friends when shots were fired.

Despite four appeals by the Metropolitan Police, his killer is yet to be caught.

‘It’s broken, shattered my life… It’s killing me on the inside,’ Janay said.

‘I’m fuming about it. I’m fuming because right now it seems I’m not going to get justice for my son.’

She said the grieving process cannot begin until she has answers and she will not feel safe until Rene’s killer is caught.

Rene was just 15 when he was gunned down in broad daylight in west London(Credits: Jeff Gilbert/REX/Shutterstock)

‘I go down that road and I am looking over my shoulder,’ she said.

‘I don’t know who it could be, and that messes up your head. Because you are thinking, is my family safe? Do they know who I am?

‘You can’t live like that.’

The Met continues to appeal for witnesses to come forward with information but says the response so far has been ‘minimal’.

‘We know from reviewing CCTV from inside the park that many people were filming on the day, and these videos could hold crucial information for us,’ DCI Alison Foxwell, who is leading the investigation, said.

‘We urge anybody with footage to contact police on 101 with the reference 01/621769/24 as soon as possible,’ she added.

Rene’s mother also believes others are accountable for his death.

The teenager spent much of his life in care because his mother was unable to look after him.

The Met said that despite four appeals for information, the response from the public for information about Rene’s murder had been ‘minimal'(Credits: Jeff Gilbert/REX/Shutterstock)

‘I put my hands up and say that I was young, I was 15. I could have done a lot of things differently,’ she said.

But she says the authorities didn’t properly care for him.

‘He had no structure in his life. No school, nothing for five years… and down to all of that, he ended up where he was, living the life he was living,’ she said.

‘They failed him and I need them to take responsibility for that.’

A spokesperson for Westminster City Council told Sky News: ‘We do our best in complicated circumstances to help young people as they grow up.

‘We supported Rene over several years and every decision the council made was driven by Rene’s welfare and with his family’s involvement.’

They added: ‘The loss of a child, in such horrific circumstances, is impossible to imagine and we continue to express our deepest sympathy to Rene’s mother and his whole family.’

Metro has contacted the council for comment.

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