My Murder, which airs on BBC3 on 26 March at 9pm, tells the story of Shakilus Townsend, a 16-year-old from south London who was led into an ambush by Samantha Joseph – a girl he thought he was dating but who betrayed him to her ex-boyfriend and his gang.
Shakilus bled to death after being beaten with a baseball bat and stabbed six times. Joseph, her boyfriend, Danny McLean, and five other youths were found guilty of murder and given life terms.
Written by 28-year-old playwright Levi David Addai, the docudrama stars Attack the Block’s John Boyega as Townsend, and has been made with the co-operation of the teenager’s family.
“It wasn’t a gang killing – it was a boy who met a girl,” said Addai. “I hope people don’t think: ‘It’s just another urban drama, it’s another black boy killed, it’s another gang thing.’
“For me, it’s a story about a boy and a girl, and him trying to get with her … it’s a simple story and something we can all relate to – those heightened emotions of being a teenager.”
The writer, who is also from south London, said the research material underlined his feeling that Townsend could have come from his own circle of friends. “I did feel like I knew that guy. It was really hard to read the research. He was so charming and popular.”
Shakilus’ mum had this to say about the docudrama: “I have deliberately kept my views on the drama private, preferring to wait until it is aired and I get feedback. I am feeling nervous and anxious.
“Will it have the right impact? Will it be perceived in the right way? Will people understand why I agreed to let the drama go ahead? Will I be able to watch it again?”
Watch this and encourage young girls to watch it too, in the hope that they will think twice before involving themselves in ‘honey traps’.
