These are the five questions a heartbroken and frustrated Sheffield mum wants answered over her son’s unsolved murder.

Kavan Brissett was just 21 when he was attacked in Upperthorpe in August 2018.

Kavan Brissett was stabbed to death in Sheffield in August 2018. There is nobody behind bars over the killing | Submit

placeholder image — Kavan Brissett was stabbed to death in Sheffield in August 2018. There is nobody behind bars over the killing | Submit

The promising young boxer, described by his family as having “the kindest soul, the biggest heart, the brightest smile,” died four days later in hospital after suffering a single stab wound to the chest.

Despite numerous appeals, a named suspect and a £5,000 Crimestoppers reward, Kavan’s family remain without answers or accountability.

Kavan Brissett died after he was stabbed in Sheffield in 2018 | Submit

His mum, Emma, has spoken out, raising key questions about what happened that night and urging those who know more to break their silence.

“People saw something that day and chose silence. That’s the world we’re living in, and it’s rotten,” she posted online.

“Whatever was going on that day doesn’t erase your right to justice – it’s your basic human rights.”

Detectives investigating the death have named a man believed to hold vital information about the stabbing, but Ahmed Farrah, who is also known as ‘Reggie’, remains at large.

He attended hospital with injuries on the same night as Kavan was stabbed.

Detectives investigating the murder of 21-year-old Kavan Brissett in Sheffield believe Ahmed Farrah could hold vital information. Farrah, who is also known as Reggie, is believed to have been involved in the same incident in which Kavan was stabbed in 2018. He turned up at hospital with injuries on the same night. If you see Farrah, call 999.

The events leading to Kavan’s death

According to Emma’s online post, on the evening of August 14, 2018, CCTV and witness accounts pieced together the following timeline:

5pm – Kavan leaves the Stannington area. He is later seen on CCTV at a Hillsborough petrol station.

6pm – He is dropped off at the Philadelphia Estate. There were no confirmed sightings of Kavan’s movements from Philadelphia to Grammar Street, which is where an altercation took place, so how Kavan arrived at Grammar Street is unclear.

After 6.30pm – CCTV captures an altercation on Grammar Street involving five people: Kavan, wanted man Ahmed Farrah and three others who remain unidentified.

The stabbing – Kavan suffers a stab wound to his chest. Despite his asthma and the severity of the injury, CCTV shows him running roughly a quarter of mile, without leaving any DNA evidence along the route he ran. He was later found collapsed on the Langsett estate.

Members of the public step in - At the Langsett estate, whilst critically injured, he was surrounded by members of the public. Emma claims some belongings went missing while a man performed CPR as Kavan went into cardiac arrest. Paramedics then arrived and performed open heart surgery on the scene.

The aftermath – Police attended and closed off the estate, at which point witnesses reported seeing two men in balaclavas fleeing over gardens, according to Emma.

Farrah, who has links to Broomhall, attended the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield with facial injuries on the same night that Kavan was stabbed. He returned to hospital the following day for further treatment but then went to ground.

The questions that remain

Kavan’s mum has highlighted the unresolved issues that haunt her to this day:

How did Kavan travel from the Philadelphia estate to Grammar Street?
Who were the three unidentified individuals seen on CCTV when the alteraction broke out?
Who stole Kavan’s belongings as he lay fighting for his life?
Who were the two men in balaclavas seen fleeing through gardens?
Why, on a warm summer evening in a busy residential area, has no one come forward to give evidence?

“It will never sit right with me, or be satisfactory at all,” Emma said.

“If anybody witnessed anything – no matter how small – this would be the perfect time to come forward. It may help massively with the investigation. Get my Kav the justice he deserves.”

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Ongoing appeals

South Yorkshire Police have repeatedly urged anyone with information to come forward, warning that those helping Farrah evade justice could face prosecution.

Detective Chief Inspector Jude Ashmore previously said: “Farrah knows he is wanted and is deliberately avoiding police. I’d ask anyone who has any information, and Farrah himself, to think about Kavan’s family and the pain they are suffering. Do the right thing.”

Anyone with information is urged to call South Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 827 of August 14, 2018.

Anonymous reports can also be made via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.