Star Wars actor John Boyega was ‘one of the last people’ to see Damilola Taylor alive

Last person: John Boyega was with Damilola Taylor moments before his death
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Jennifer Ruby23 December 2015
The Weekender

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Star Wars actor John Boyega was with Damilola Taylor just moments before his death.

Richard Taylor, who is the father of the murdered schoolboy, has revealed that Boyega was one of the last people to see his son alive.

Speaking to The Mirror, he said that the star and his sister Grace were the two children seen with his son on the CCTV footage just before he was fatally stabbed in November 2000.

He said: “Damilola and John and Grace were so close. They were looking after him when he arrived in the UK, because they went to school together.

Tragedy: Damilola Taylor was murdered back in November 2000

“The three of them were captured in the CCTV recording that the police used when they asked people to come forward to assist with the investigation.”

Taylor added: “They were the last to see him. They wanted to escort him home, but he said he was going to be OK.

Last moments: Boyega and his sister were with Taylor before his death

“They left him by the junction then he went around the corner and the gang were waiting for him.”

Boyega, 23, has been propelled into the limelight after being cast as the lead role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which has just had the biggest opening weekend of all time.

Taylor has wished the rising star all the best of luck and praised him for continuing to promote Peckham.

He revealed that Boyega has included the Damilola Taylor Trust as one of the 15 charities to benefit from initiative Star Wars: A Force for Change.

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