A 20-year-old man has been jailed for life for the murder of Cher Maximen, a mother of one, at the Notting Hill Carnival. Shakeil Thibou, from Kensington, west London, was sentenced at the Old Bailey to serve a minimum of 29 years after being found guilty of stabbing Ms Maximen in front of her three-year-old daughter during the event’s family day on August 25, 2024. The attack, described by the judge as “brazen,” took place in broad daylight amid crowds of families and police officers.

The court heard that the incident began when Thibou, armed with a large zombie knife, became involved in a violent altercation with a group of men near Ms Maximen. During the chaos, Thibou lunged at a man named Adjei Isaac, who tried to escape and collided with Ms Maximen, causing her to fall. It was then that Thibou stabbed her in the groin, inflicting a 12cm-deep wound that led to massive blood loss. Despite emergency surgery, Ms Maximen died six days later in hospital.

Witnesses described the horror of the attack, which was caught on camera and occurred just off the parade route. Ms Maximen had attended the carnival with friends and her young daughter, hoping for a carefree day out. Instead, her life was ended in what police called “the most senseless way,” leaving her family and the wider community in shock and grief. Her daughter, still in the silver shorts she wore at the carnival, struggled to comprehend her mother’s absence, telling relatives, “I couldn’t save her”.

Thibou was also convicted of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to Mr Isaac and carrying an offensive weapon. His brothers, Sheldon and Shaeim Thibou, faced charges related to violent disorder and assaulting police officers who intervened during the incident. The judge emphasized the devastating impact of Ms Maximen’s death, saying it was impossible to overstate the loss experienced by her family and friends.