
Beniamin Pieknyi, 21, was walking through the Stratford Centre in East London when he was chased and stabbed in March

The family of a Romanian man stabbed to death just three weeks after moving to Britain has returned home because they believe it is less violent than in London where 'if you say the wrong thing to the wrong person you could end up dead'.

Beniamin Pieknyi, 21, was walking through the Stratford Centre in East London when he was chased and stabbed during an unprovoked attack in March by five thugs who were 'hell-bent on causing trouble', according to police.

The victim's sister, Iulia, who lived with Mr Pieknyi in Milton Keynes shortly after he came to the UK earlier this year, said the tragedy had altered her view of life in the capital.

'I've come to realise that terrible things can happen in the blink of an eye, and if you say the wrong thing to the wrong person you could end up dead,' she told the BBC.

Her comments comes as three people fight for their lives after separate stabbings across London in 24 hours as officers also launched a murder probe in Birmingham.

Yesterday, stabbing deaths in the UK hit 250 this year, with five of those murders coming in the past seven days in London alone.

This has increased the number of murder investigations in London to 119 this year. Mr Pieknyi was the 42nd to die in a wave of violence that Mayor Sadiq Khan recently warned would take 'a decade' to stem.

Mr Pieknyi (right) had been living in Milton Keynes with his brother Mihael and sister Iulia (both pictured in an undated image)

Mr Pieknyi's brother Mihael, who also lived with him in Milton Keynes, said the family were still in shock over the tragedy.

'We are in shock. My mother doesn't sleep and my sister, Iulia, does not want to come back and live in this country,' he said. 'To us as a family, London is seen as a dangerous place because of what happened to my brother.'

The three killers were today jailed for almost 50 years in total. Ukrainian Valdyslav Yakymchuk, 23, who had been in the UK for just two years, admitted murder.

He pulled a huge knife from his waistband and plunged it into Mr Pieknyi's chest despite onlookers begging him to back off.

Yakymchuk was arrested four days later while shoplifting in Harrods and has now been jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years.

Kevin Duarte, 19, and Moses Kasule, 20, were found guilty of manslaughter and violent disorder by an Old Bailey jury after a four-week trial and each sentenced to 12 years.

Alexis Gabriel Da Costa Varela and Mario Zvavamwe, both 19, were convicted of violent disorder and handed sentences of 40 months and 30 months respectively

Five men are still due to be sentenced for their roles in Mr Pieknyi's death, including Vladyslav Yakymchuk, 23, who pleaded guilty to murder. He is seen in an undated mug shot

Mr Pieknyi worked at a takeaway with his brother, and on March 20 had done a half day so he could travel to Stratford, just yards from the site of the London 2012 Olympics, to meet up with his friend Alexander Suciu, 25.

CCTV from the Centre at the time showed Yakymchuk - as well as Alexis Varela, 19, Kevin Duarte, 19, Moses Kasule, 20, and 18-year-old Mario Zvavamwe - hassling random members of the public.

The incident began when Varela, who was riding a bicycle with Duarte on the handlebars, came across Mr Suciu and hit him on the head, entirely unprovoked.

Varela and Duarte then left before coming back a few minutes later shouting 'this is our area' and a row began.

The two thugs were joined by the three other members of their group and immediately set on Mr Suciu and Mr Pieknyi, who by this time had come out of the shop.

The Romanian ex-mining town still troubled by unemployment after a wave of site closures in the 1990s Beniamin Piekyni was born and raised in Lupeni, a mining city of around 23,000 in the south-west of Romania. In the communist era local mines employed thousands of people, before mass closures during the 1990s severely damaged the local economy. A horse carriage passes a small shop in Lupeni, where Mr Piekyni was born and raised. This image was taken in 2007 As well as leaving mine-workers out of work, the closures had a knock-on effect on suppliers of equipment and services, spreading the economic malaise. Recently the local economy has grown more diverse, with renewed investment in sectors including forestry and tourism. The city's last remaining active mine is the Lupeni Coal Mine, managed by the National Hard Coal Company. The local coal mines of Lupeni used to employ thousands, and their closure left many out of work. Pictured: A retired miner in the city in 2007 Advertisement

Yakymchuk stole Mr Pieknyi's bottle of water and Mr Suciu’s glasses before Kasule began throwing punches. As the rest of the group goaded the two Romanians, a security guard came to try and take them to safety.

At this point, Yakymchuk pulled a knife and the thugs began chasing the pair, before cornering Mr Pieknyi in a Subway branch. There, he was beaten and punched before Yakymchuk stabbed him in the chest.

As the attackers fled, Mr Pieknyi lay fatally injured and died at the scene around an hour later, despite the efforts of paramedics and onlookers. His cause of death was given as a stab wound to the heart.

The 21-year-old's body was flown back to Romania, where his family held a funeral on May 27.

In a victim impact statement, his aunt Cristina described her nephew as a 'very quiet boy, hardworking and someone who liked to help people'. She stood in for the family at the Old Bailey because the others could not afford to attend.

Duarte was convicted of manslaughter and violent disorder while Varela and Zvavamwe were both found guilty of violent disorder.

Kasule was convicted of manslaughter and violent disorder.

Investigating officer, Detective Inspector Ian Titterrell, said: 'Beniamin and his friend were two entirely innocent friends who had arranged to meet and catch up with each other.

'They had every right to go about socialising with each other in peace and had done nothing at all to deserve the ire of their aggressors.'

'These convictions will, I'm sure, do little to quell the pain Beniamin's family have endured. I hope however that they will derive some small comfort from knowing that justice has been done.'

It comes as three people are fighting for their lives after separate stabbings across London over 24 hours as officers also launched a murder probe in Birmingham.

The latest incident saw a man airlifted to hospital in a 'serious condition' after he was found with stab wounds in Hackney, East London, shortly before 2pm today.

It comes as a teenage boy was left with life-threatening injuries in a similar knife attack just two hours earlier on the other side of the capital in Shepherd's Bush.

In another example of lawless Britain, police arrested three men on suspicion of murder in Birmingham after a man was found dead in the street last night.

A man was airlifted to hospital in a 'serious condition' after he was found with stab wounds in Hackney, East London, near the Olympic Village - shortly before 2pm today

Another attack took place at about 12pm today on this road in Shepherd's Bush, West London, where a policeman is seen on guard

How police posed for selfies at the scene hours after Mr Pieknyi was stabbed to death The Met was severely criticised after posting a ‘selfie’ of beat officers at the scene of Mr Piekyni's death just 36 hours after the tragedy. The two police constables from Forest Gate North’s Safer Neighbourhoods Team stood in front of the Stratford Centre and put their heads together for the picture. Pursing their lips in the bright sunshine, they captioned the picture: 'Crime scene at Stratford Mall today'. The controversial selfie taken by two officers at the scene of Mr Piekyni's murder on March 22 Advertisement

Footage from the scene in Sparkbrook yesterday showed officers laying a white sheet over the victim's body. It is believed the incident was a stabbing.

Also yesterday, officers were called to an alleyway in well-heeled West Hampstead in North West London at about 8pm after reports of yet another knife attack.

The boy was found on a road named after rock legend Billy Fury, close to a street of multi-million pound houses and the three train stations in the area.

The incident came on the same day that stabbing deaths in the UK hit 250 this year, with five of those murders coming in the past seven days in London alone.

Today in Hackney, paramedics raced to the scene near the Olympic Village after police were called to the 'disturbance' shortly before 2pm.

A group of people ran out the front of the square after the attack, and officers said no one could pass the cordon because a police dog was on the way.

This included children, who were allowed out of a neighbouring school but were left waiting in the rain outside.

One resident said he heard that a suspect leapt into gardens and was hammering on windows to try to get away from the scene by going through people’s houses.

The man was taken to hospital and a forensic scene was put in place at the site near Hackney Wick train station, but no arrests have been made.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Police in Hackney are dealing with a stabbing. Officers were called at 1.53pm to E9 to reports of a disturbance.

'Officers attended and found a man at the location with stab wounds. London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance attended the scene.

Police were called to an alleyway in well-heeled West Hampstead, North West London, after reports of yet another knife attack last night at about 8pm

Police arrested three men on suspicion of murder in Birmingham after a man was found dead in the street at about 7pm last night

Police put a sheet over the body of a man allegedly murdered in Sparkbrook, Birmingham

Forensic officers had set up a tent around the scene in Walford Road in Sparkbrook while the public were kept back behind a cordon

Ayodeji Azeez (pictured left) died after being attacked by a gang of men who chased him down the street in Anerley, South East London, on Sunday. Jai Sewell, (pictured right) was killed by a stab wound to the heart in a premeditated attack in Bellingham, South East London

'The man has been taken to hospital in a serious condition. A forensic scene is in place. No arrests. Enquiries continue.'

Police are desperately trying to stem the bloodshed after five men and boys were stabbed to death in one week.

It began with the murder of father Rocky Djelal, 38, who was killed in Southwark Park, Rotherhithe, in a targeted attack last Wednesday.

Four stabbings in 24 hours in London and Birmingham today Hackney, East London - 2pm today Shepherd's Bush, West London - 12pm today West Hampstead, North West London - 8pm yesterday Sparkbrook, Birmingham - 7pm yesterday Advertisement

The next evening 15-year-old Jay Hughes, also known as Jai Sewell, was killed by a stab wound to the heart in a premeditated attack in Bellingham, South East London.

On Friday, college student Malcolm Mide-Madariola, 17, was knifed to death outside Clapham South Tube station.

Ayodeji Azeez, 22, from Dagenham, died after being attacked by a gang of men who chased him down the street in Anerley, South East London, on Sunday lunchtime.

The latest victim was a 16-year-old, known only as John, stabbed to death in Tulse Hill, South London, on Monday. Friends said he was a drill rapper known as JaySav.

One witness said: 'A car drove on to the estate and then the boy was left on the floor. I was absolutely terrified – his stomach had been slit open.

'The boy's mum came driving down in an Audi and sounded the horn again and again. She was screaming "Save him, save him. God, save my boy".'

Another stabbing happened a day later, this time in West Hampstead, with Scotland Yard confirming it had been called to Billy Fury Way, off Lithos Road, at 8.01pm.

The road last night was closed with a heavy police presence at the scene. Scotland Yard said a 'male, thought to be aged in his teens, was discovered with stab injuries'.

As many as five people have been stabbed to death around South London in the last week

Local youngsters left flowers at the scene of the latest murder in Tulse Hill in South London yesterday, the fifth stabbing murder in the capital in the last seven days

Following this, a Section 60 was authorised for West Hampstead's Camden borough which allowed police officers to stop and search a person without suspicion.

Meanwhile a teenage boy has been charged with the murder of 17-year-old Malcolm Mide-Madariola in Clapham, South London.

Malcolm suffered a fatal stab wound during an incident outside Clapham South Underground station as people made their way home for the weekend on Friday.

The Metropolitan Police said they had charged a 17-year-old suspect with his murder and he will appear at Bromley Magistrates' Court.

An 18-year-old man who was also arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday has been bailed until later in November.

Police were called to reports of a stabbing outside the station at about 4.35pm.

Officers and paramedics rushed to the scene, where they found Malcolm suffering from a stab wound.

The teenager was given first aid before being taken to hospital, where he died a short time later.

Malcolm's alleged murder came amid concerns over rising knife crime in the capital, particularly among young people.

Tributes paid on social media to the 16-year-old killed in Tulse Hill, named locally as John (pictured left). Malcolm Mide-Madariola, (pictured right) a 17-year-old who was stabbed to death outside Clapham South tube station on Friday

Rocky Djelal (left), 38, was fatally injured in Rotherhithe in what police believe may have been a targeted attack. He had previously been jailed over the murder of Christopher Foster (right)