Mum pleaded for support before son's fatal stabbing

A safeguarding review into the death of a 15-year-old boy who was stabbed in south-east London has highlighted failings in the way agencies worked together, despite repeated warnings from his mother as he was groomed further into drug dealing.

Jodian Taylor said concerns she raised about her son Daejaun Campbell's safety were not adequately acted upon and that there was a lack of communication between services.

Speaking after the report's publication, she told the BBC: "I feel a lot of shame, guilt, regret surrounding this, and I don't think it's fair that it's only me that suffers that."

The review, published by the Greenwich Safeguarding Children Partnership (GSCP), found Taylor repeatedly raised concerns with professionals about Campbell's welfare between February and September 2024, including fears about knife possession, criminal exploitation and suspected drug dealing.

The report described her as "not passive but persistent" and someone who "actively sought help, raised concerns, and advocated for his safety with remarkable perseverance".

Daejaun Campbell was attacked in Woolwich on the afternoon of 22 September 2024. He was stabbed in the leg with a "zombie" knife, which severed an artery.

Paramedics found drugs packaged for sale in his underwear, and as they tried to save him, he called out: "I'm 15, don't let me die."

Campbell died at the scene, and it is believed he was targeted as part of a dispute between two drug dealers.

Taylor said she was "relieved it [the review] had finally been published" but criticised delays to the report's publication, saying it had been due to be completed the previous month.

"I can tell you that the lack of communication between services that was explained in the review and that we all are aware of is the same lack of communication process that I endured in going through this review," she said.

Taylor added she had been told the delay was linked to a decision to refer to her son by name, something she had requested from the outset because she wanted him to be "identifiable".

"It is incredibly important to me that they refer to him by his name.

"What happened to Daejaun is a product of their failings. The review is just the reaction for what they've allowed to happen," she said.

The review found Taylor raised concerns through MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub), the local authority and Child in Need reviews for issues such as knife possession, risky peer associations, cannabis use, suspected drug dealing and criminal exploitation.

She also reported feeling unsupported by services and requested additional support for herself and her family.

According to the review, her concerns became increasingly urgent, escalating from behavioural issues to fears of county lines involvement and risks to the family's safety.

County lines is a form of criminal exploitation where gangs use children and vulnerable adults to transport and sell drugs across regions.

A number of key incidents were highlighted in the report, including Daejaun going missing and being arrested on several occasions.

The review came to the conclusion that "agencies were involved, and individuals cared; however, the system's assessment of Daéjaun's risk was affected by the absence of regular multi-agency meetings that included his mother to discuss and measure risks based on outcome."

At one stage, Taylor requested to surrender parental responsibility for her son, which she said was "the hardest thing".

"It wasn't a case where I wanted to just give my child up. I didn't give up on him. I wanted to be able to supervise him.

"I just wanted him to be in a safe space, an environment where I didn't have to worry about him," she said.

A few months prior to Daejaun's death in January 2025, 14-year-old Kelyan Bokassa, who was a friend of the teens, was also murdered on a bus in Woolwich.

Both boy's mothers later told BBC Panorama they knew their sons were in danger and had desperately tried to get help.

Councillor Anthony Okereke, leader of Greenwich Council, said one of the review's central findings was the need for schools, police, health services and the council to work more closely together when safeguarding vulnerable children.

He said agencies needed to take a more co-ordinated approach to sharing information and responding to concerns about young people at risk.

He apologised to Taylor but said: "We owe it to ourselves and owe it to her to go further than that to make sure Daejaun's death is not a moment that passes us by and that we learn from the recommendations.

"You know, young people being exploited by criminal gangs needs a real joint-up approach from the local level, regional level and national level."

The review made a number of recommendations, including:

• Better joint working between agencies.
• Stronger responses to exploitation and violence.
• Earlier intervention for at-risk children.
• Improved handling of missing children's cases.
• More support for families facing safety concerns.
• Better identification of exploitation risks.
• Additional training for health professionals.
• Greater focus on children's experiences and voices.

This month, an inquest involving a teenage boy in London found similar failings.

Corey Junior Davis, known as CJ, was killed in a drive-by shooting at a playground in Forest Gate, east London, on 4 September 2017.

The inquest into the 14-year-old's death found there had been "collective failings" across multiple public agencies before his fatal shooting.

Taylor said: "Daejaun wasn't the first; he wasn't the last.

"The recommendations in the review are recommendations in most reviews.

"They're recommendations that could have helped Daejaun based on the previous review of a young person months before Daejaun had passed, but still they weren't implemented."

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