A heartbroken father has released the harrowing footage of his son’s murder in a bid to get knives off Britain’s streets.
Lauric Lebato, 22, was stabbed in the back by Sulaiman Sillah when a fight broke out at a party on February 11.
The attack inflicted horrific injuries on Lauric and caused him to bleed to death at the property in Leicester.
His father Tagbeu Lebato has now made an emotional film with Leicestershire Police to highlight the damage knives can have on families and communities.
Lauric Lebato, 22, left, was stabbed in the back by Sulaiman Sillah, right, when a fight broke out at a party in Leicester in February
Lauric’s father Tagbeu Lebato has released CCTV footage of the incident, pictured, to speak out against knife crime
He also shared pictures of his son and said he was devastated by the loss and said ‘his life finished’ when Lauric was stabbed
Sillah, 20, of Leicester, was jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 24 years at Birmingham Crown Court after being found guilty of murder.
Speaking on the video, he said: ‘You have just watched my son Lauric being stabbed to death.
‘I told you it would be shocking. But how do you feel? How do you feel about that knife that took our lives?
‘I do not ask you to pity my life. I have no need of your pity. Instead, I ask you to think about that knife that took the life of my beautiful little boy.
‘Now, think about another knife that may one day take your life or the life of someone close to you.
‘My name is Tagbeu Lebato. Think lives not knives’.
Sillah, who claimed he acted in self-defence, was also found guilty of wounding with intent on another occasion.
Jurors also convicted Sillah’s friend, Sheriff Oluwa, 20, of violent disorder.
A court heard Oluwa had been threatening people with a large combat knife on the night but had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
On February 11, Sillah and Oluwa, both originally from London, attended a fellow De Montfort University student’s birthday party in a basement flat.
Around 15 members of the Manor House Gang from London also attended the party, including Mr Lebato.
A row broke out between the Leicester student group and the Manor House Gang and the fight spilled out into the street, where Oluwa threatened other people with a long combat knife before being sprayed with a foam fire extinguisher by Mr Lebato.
A fight broke out between a group of students and a gang from London at the party, with scuffles initially taking place in a stairwell, pictured
Lauric, pictured far right, armed himself with a fire extinguisher to try to fend off Sillah
Sillah then ran at Mr Lebato from behind with a knife but Mr Lebato managed to dodge out of his way at the last minute and flee across the road before he was stabbed.
In the film, Mr Lebato said his life has been destroyed by the death of his son after moving from their former home in Ivory Coast to give Lauric a better future’.
The film shows the moment CCTV cameras capturd Lauric being stabbed as he tried to fend his attacker off with a fire extinguisher.
Mr Lebato added: ‘I have never seen this footage. I never want to. I don’t need to. For me the knife that killed him destroyed me as well.
‘I was born into a very poor family in the Ivory Coast. We had very few things and very little money, but I had a dream that one day I would have a child.
‘When that moment came I would take my child far, far away to a different culture, a different place, where I would bring my child up to be a happy, successful and safe person.
‘Lauric was born in the Ivory Coast. He was and always will be in my mind a beautiful, happy little boy.
‘Five years later, having saved and saved, I fulfilled my dream. We broke that link with my home country, with poverty, and with my family, and Lauric and I set up home together in London.’
Sillah, armed with a large knife, then stabbed Lauric once in the back, pictured, before running off
Lauric, pictured far right, is then seen running away himself only to slow down and hold his side
Mr Lebato said he worked hard to support them both and they were getting used to life in the UK.
He said: ”Bit by bit we got used to our whole new way of life, to the customs and traditions of this country.
‘I sent him home twice to the Ivory Coast so he could compare the life the children have there and how fortunate we were to have broken that link.
‘And we spoke every Saturday about the week that had gone and the week that lay ahead, planning the future.
‘On Saturday, February 11, 2017 Lauric decided to go to a party with some friends. He told me he would be late home. It was the last time I saw him.
‘There was a fight at the party and Lauric and others ended up in the street outside.
Mr Lebato also shared footage from Lauric’s funeral, pictured, in the video and said his life has now become a ‘daily nightmare’
‘Lauric armed himself with a fire extinguisher to protect himself from attack. A few seconds later, he was dead.
‘In that split-second my life finished. Now I have no future, I just exist in a dark and painful present.
‘I spend my money, I don’t save it. There’s no one to save it for. My Ivory Coast dream has become a daily nightmare. I don’t sleep anymore – I just suffer.’
Sentencing, Judge Mark Wall QC said: ‘There’s a growing trend for young people to arm themselves with knives when they go out.
‘That increases the chances of someone being killed or seriously injured.
‘In Leicestershire, where these incidents took place, seven out of 10 of the homicides under investigation this year involved knives.
‘That dramatic statistic highlights the problem locally, as well as nationally.’