Man Jailed For Clapham Teenager's Murder

A 32-year-old man has been convicted of murdering a teenager from Clapham.

Jerome Small, of Arbour Close, Coley, Reading, was found guilty of one count of murder by a jury, following a trial at Reading Crown Court which started on 29 May.

Small stabbed his 17-year-old victim, Jordan Malutshi, in the early hours of Sunday 1 July at Face Bar in Chatham Street, Reading.

Senior Investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Ian Hunter of the Thames Valley Police Major Crime department said:

“The murder of Jordan Malutshi, who was only 17-years-old at the time of his death, was premeditated and senseless. Jerome Small has been found guilty of this murder having made a decision to arm himself with a knife with the intention of causing Jordan serious harm.

“Small has shown no remorse or sorrow for taking Jordan’s life. Instead, he claimed it was an accident and sought to blame others for his own failings.

“Small will now have a considerable amount of time to reflect on taking Jordan’s life, as well as the lasting impact on Jordan’s family and friends.

“I would personally like to thank Jordan’s parents and family, who have shown great strength, dignity and courage throughout the investigation and court trial. Our thoughts will remain with them.

“I also wish to thank those witnesses who stood up for what is right and were brave enough to come forward and support the Investigation. They demonstrated that there is no hiding place for those intent on committing such violent acts.”

Chief Crown Prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern CPS, Baljit Ubhey OBE said:

“This case involved the tragic and untimely death of 17-year-old Jordan Malushi, who was stabbed to death while he sat passively in the Face Bar nightclub in Reading on 1 July last year.

"His life was brought to a pemature end in the most brutal of ways by a man who had entered the club moments earlier armed with a knife and intent on causing serious injury.

“The jury at Reading Crown Court found Jerome Small guilty of the murder of Jordan, despite the defendant’s denials.

“The Crown Prosecution Service praises the strength and courage of Jordan’s family who sat through the trial and listened to the horrific details of how Jordan was killed by a senseless act.

“The investigation by Thames Valley Police and strong prosecution of this case demonstrates that those who use knives to kill or to injure will be brought to justice. As a result of the hard work and diligence of the prosecution team, a just outcome has been achieved for Jordan’s family and friends. We hope that today’s conviction and sentence will in some way help them come to terms with this tragic event and their dreadful loss.

“No matter how long the prison sentence is, we acknowledge that nothing can make up for the loss felt by Jordan’s family and friends and our thoughts are very much with them all at this time.”

Supt Stuart Greenfield, Local Policing Area Commander for Reading, said:

“I would like to reassure the local community that incidents of this nature are rare in Reading. However, when such crimes do occur, police investigate them thoroughly in order to bring the perpetrators to justice, as has happened in this case.

“Thames Valley Police is focused on tackling knife crime and working with partners to reduce the number of people who choose to carry knives on our streets. If you carry a knife, you could end up in prison. Anyone who thinks that carrying a knife keeps them safe should think again, statistically, there is a real possibility of it being used against the carrier.

“I would like to thank all the police officers, who carried out a professional investigation to piece together the evidence of what happened in the early hours of July 1 last year. This investigation has brought justice to Jordan Malutshi’s family and friends.”

The family of Jordan Malutshi has asked Thames Valley Police to issue the following statement, after Jerome Small was convicted of murder at Reading Crown Court on June 13th 2013.

“Jordan was a very friendly, socialable and outspoken young man. He loved reading books, newspapers, surfing the internet, playing football and computer games, as well as listening to and making music.

“He was also a good student, who had achieved his GCSEs, and after college wanted to become an entrepreneur.

“Although we welcome the jury’s verdict, we know we will never have Jordan back. The person found guilty of Jordan’s murder should expect the full force of the law. We trust in the judicial system that a life sentence will mean life.

“We are so grateful to everyone who has worked on this case to bring justice to Jordan’s family and friends. We refer to the police, CPS, victim support, our barrister, the jury and the judge, as well as the brave witnesses.”