Lauryn Hill calls for end to London knife violence as Fugees star meets survivor

Fugees singer Lauryn Hill has called for an end to knife violence in London as she met a stabbing victim.

James Bascoe-Smith , 21, suffered brain injuries after he was knifed multiple times whilst cycling in Brixton in 2021.

His mother, Lisa Bascoe-Smith, said the singer and actress made her son “feel like a superstar” after he was invited backstage after her concert on Monday night at the 02 Arena in London.

Speaking after meeting James Hill said she backed his family in their battle against knife crime .

She told the BBC: "I think we try to do that with the music , we try to deconstruct some of the negative messages and let the (younger) generation know that you can be happy, you can be peaceful.

"They can't be attacking each other and hurting each other.

"If they respect their own lives more then they will respect their neighbours lives more."

James was 16 when he was attacked by Leon Rashid, 20, and 19 year old Taiquane Lewis. Both were convicted of conspiracy to murder and jailed for life.

Ms Bascoe-Smith told the BBC her son “felt like he was someone up there, and special. It really made his evening. We had a really, really good time.”

But she added: “We have these amazing moments but then we come home and reality kicks in.”

James had just been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.

His mother is fighting to get moved from the ground-floor flat they were moved to after James came out of hospital.

She said: “The house where we are living is really dark and depressing. There are no windows at the front, because it's a car park and there are train tracks at the back.

“For James this is his worst nightmare. We've had mould and we've had cockroaches,” she told the BBC.

His heart stopped and he effectively died for 50 minutes near his home, only to be brought back to life by medics, the Old Bailey heard.

A selection of “terrifying” knives discarded by the fleeing thugs included a combat knife, a Rambo-style blade and a Zombie-style machete.

Church-going James was doing well in his GCSEs and working as a gym coach before he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time after he was attacked in a case of mistaken identity.