He tapped me on the shoulder... I stabbed him in the heart: Philip Lawrence's killer admits to the murder for the first time



Learco Chindamo made comments during robbery trial

Mr Lawrence, 48, was killed outside his school in 1995

Chindamo says ' I was afraid my mother and my family would disown me'

Brutal: Chindamo has finally revealed how he killed headteacher Philip Lawrence

In an Old Bailey trial which shocked the nation, teenager Learco Chindamo stood expressionless just feet from Frances Lawrence and denied murdering her husband Philip.



Yesterday, 15 years on, he admitted he lied and described for the first time the moment he killed the headmaster and father of four.



‘He (Mr Lawrence) tapped me on the shoulder a second time and I stabbed him,’ Chindamo told a court, later adding: ‘I know what I’ve done was a terrible thing.’



The killer, 30, who despite his denial was convicted and jailed for a minimum of 12 years, is now on trial for an alleged mugging only four months after being released on parole.



He gave Blackfriars Crown Court a tearful account of his ‘selfish’ lies at the 1996 murder trial as he sought to defend accusations that he boasted of the killing during the alleged robbery last year.



Prosecutors say he asked the victim: ‘Do you know who I am? Do you remember about the head teacher in Maida Vale?’



Chindamo, who did not give evidence at his murder trial, told how on December 8, 1995, aged 15 he went with others to St George’s Roman Catholic School, in Maida Vale, North-West London, to sort out ‘trouble’ with a pupil. It led to a fight outside the school.



He said he had joined a gang and ‘was doing a lot of bad things’.

And he described the moment he knifed Mr Lawrence when the headmaster tried to break up the fight.

‘He (Mr Lawrence) followed me and my group. I struck him with my hand. As he tapped my shoulder I struck him and I’ve kicked him as well. I think I said: “**** off, leave me alone,” something along those lines.



Defending a pupil: Headmaster Philip Lawrence was stabbed to death outside St George's Roman Catholic School in Maida Vale, west London

‘He tapped me on the shoulder a second time. I stabbed him.’

Clutching the side of the dock, the defendant took a sip of water before calmly continuing.



'Remorse': Learco Chindamo, spoke for the first time about killing the headteacher in 1995 at Blackfriars Crown Court

‘I’ve turned around as he’s tapped me on the shoulder and I’ve stabbed him in the chest,’ he said. ‘He’s gone to dodge it and it’s gone into his arm.’

The blow to the chest punctured the 48-year-old’s heart and he collapsed and died nearby.



Tyrone Smith, defending, asked Chindamo: ‘You knew that you were responsible for killing this man. When you were interviewed on that day, did you admit the offence?’ ‘No,’ he replied.



Mr Smith continued: ‘You knew that Mr Lawrence had a widow and a young family, yet you didn’t do the decent thing and plead guilty to what you’d done?’ Chindamo admitted he had lied at his trial.



But he was found guilty and jailed for life by a judge who recommended a minimum of 12 years before parole.



Yesterday the defendant admitted his denial was ‘entirely selfish’.

‘I was afraid of going to prison for a very long time,’ he said. ‘I was afraid that my mother and my family would disown me. I was scared. I was 15 years old. I know that’s not an excuse.’



He said it was only when an appeal failed and he lost all hope that he could ‘get off’, that he finally confessed to his mother.

Back on the streets: Learco Chindamo was released to live in Catford, south London, after serving 14 years for the murder of Philip Lawrence

Following his conviction, Chindamo faced deportation to his native Italy, where his father was serving a prison sentence. But an Asylum and Immigration Tribunal decided not to deport him on the grounds of his human rights.



Yesterday Chindamo said: ‘I can understand why people would want me deported. I killed someone, I wasn’t born here. Who cares, I’ve killed someone. But my family live here. I don’t know anyone in Italy.’



Mr Smith said prison reports showed his client was remorseful and Chindamo had written a letter of apology to Mr Lawrence’s widow and children, although the authorities deemed it ‘inappropriate’ to send it.



The defence barrister asked him: ‘Do you recognise the damage and loss your actions have caused to them?’



Mugging: The cash-point at Sainsburys in Camden, north London, where 20-year-old David Sexton was robbed

Tribute: St George's Roman Catholic School in Maida Vale where a plaque commemorates headmaster Phillip Lawrence

‘Yes,’ replied Chindamo, adding: ‘I know what I’ve done was a terrible thing. A horrible thing.’



Prosecutors claim Chindamo mugged David Sexton, 20, forcing him to hand over money for ‘disrespecting’ him as he withdrew cash in Camden, North London. Gregory Jananto, 32, and Saeed Akhtar, 32, are also accused of robbery.



But Chindamo claims Mr Sexton started the row by calling him a ‘killer’ after recognising him.



He admits taking money but claims Mr Sexton offered him £10 during the incident on November 13 last year.



The defendants all deny robbery.

