Not many people know that 23 year old John Boyega who plays ex-stormtrooper Finn in The Force Awakens was close friends with Damilola Taylor, the 10 year old Nigerian boy who was killed by a London gang in November 2000.
Damilola’s father, Richard Taylor describes the friendship between his late son and John Boyega to The Mirror:
“Damilola and John and Grace were so close. They were looking after him when he arrived in the UK, because they went to school together…
The three of them were captured in the CCTV recording that the police used when they asked people to come forward to assist with the investigation…
Grace became so close to Damilola – it was almost like boyfriend and girlfriend…
They were the last to see him. They wanted to escort him home, but he said he was going to be OK. They left him by the junction then he went around the corner and the gang were waiting for him.”
John Boyega’s sister, Grace
On his way home that day, young Damilola who had just moved from Nigeria to Britain with his family was stabbed by a gang of youths and was left to bleed to death.
In 2006, two teenagers were convicted for manslaughter.
Mr. Richard Taylor
Mr. Taylor expressed his gratitude having received a mail from the United States informing his family about the nomination for the charitable initiative worth 1.35 million pounds.
“I was overwhelmed. It filled me with joy…
I thought: ‘Oh wow, Damilola could have been working with him as an actor.’ Damilola was acting in primary school – in Christmas plays, school plays, reciting poems and all that kind of thing.”
Damilola Taylor Trust, which was established in May 2001, is committed to providing inner-city youths with opportunities to play, learn and live their lives free of fear and violence, and with optimism for a future where opportunities flourish.
