The youngest victim of London’s knife crime epidemic had been warned about the growing dangers at a church meeting days before he was stabbed.

Church elders had gathered teenagers from their South London congregation, including David Idowu, to advise them to be careful after a spate of fatal knife attacks. Two days later David, who was 14 and a church regular, was chased by a gang of youths from the green alongside his home, where he could be found most afternoons playing football with his brother.

As he ran for help along a nearby street, David was stabbed in the stomach and chest. He died three weeks later, last Sunday. He had been due to deliver a speech about knife violence at the world’s biggest speaking event for young people.

Odonayo Otti, an elder at the Christ Apostolic Church in south Bermondsey, told The Times yesterday: “We saw him as usual on the Sunday before he was stabbed. We gave a lecture to all the youth about knife crime and the environment they live in. We wanted them to know about the dangers, and to be careful. And now this happens, just a few yards from his house. It’s senseless.”

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There is no indication that David, who attended Walworth Academy in Southwark, was caught up in London’s gang culture. Police say that he may have been attacked because of his school uniform. According to residents some youths from Walworth Academy had a rivalry with a nearby school.

David’s parents paid an emotional visit yesterday, with their other sons, Peter, 18, and James, 13, to the site where David was found seriously injured on June 18. Tim Idowu, 56, a bus driver, paid tribute to his son later, saying that he had recently visited Madam Tussauds to have his photograph taken with the waxwork of the former US President Bill Clinton, who was one of David’s heroes.

Mr Idowu said: “He always thought of what to do now and what will happen in the future. He believed change can only come through good world leaders. He was the light of this house, organised and managed things. Our lives can never be the same again.”

David’s mother, Grace Idowu, 48, a supermarket checkout assistant, spoke of taking comfort from her faith. “We love you David but God loves you more,” she said. “David is with his heavenly Father but we shall see him again.”

Family friends visiting the scene yesterday spoke of a talented and ambitious young man who had an interest in website design. Numerous tributes from schoolfriends lay on the footpath where passers-by had tried to help David after the attack.

Devon Hanson, the principal of Walworth Academy, described David’s death as a terrible and unnecessary tragedy that had left pupils and staff in shock.

Police have not yet said whether a 16-year-old remanded in custody last month after being accused of attempting to kill David will be charged with murder. David was the 19th teenager to die after a violent attack in London this year.

Gordon Brown pledged yesterday to take “any legislative measures that are necessary” to tackle the problem and said that he wanted a presumption to prosecute anyone carrying a knife.

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