Tributes have been paid to a 14-year-old schoolboy who was stabbed to death on a London bus.

       Kelyan Bokassa - an aspiring rapper also known as 'Grippa' - was stabbed in front of horrified passengers of the 472 bus towards Abbey Wood in Woolwich just before 2.30pm on Tuesday.

       Police said the stabbing took place while the bus was on Woolwich Church Road near the junction with the A205 South Circular Road. Emergency services were called to the scene and several police cars and ambulances surrounded the red double-decker bus.

       Despite the swift arrival of paramedics from London Ambulance Service and the air ambulance, the boy died at the scene.

       Today, his heartbroken Mary Bokassa mother paid tribute to her "kind and caring" son.

       Mary, 50, today told MailOnline: "He was very kind and caring. He cares about people and had a good sense of humour.

       "He was very polite. He was interested in football and was a supporter of Arsenal."

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       Ms Bokassa said Kelyan had been taken into care four years ago but "kept running away". She said her son had been living rough on the streets for a year, where she feared criminals took advantage of him.

       Speaking from her home in south-east London, she claimed: "My son and others were taken advantage by gangs. They were groomed."

       She continued: "He was missing for a year and was living on the street. He finally turned up at my doorstep, he was sick, underweight and tattooed... He was exposed to drugs. He probably experienced something because I could sense it. He was not himself. If I questioned him he wouldn't tell me anything about his friends."

       No arrests have been made and the Metropolitan Police are currently searching for the attacker. A police cordon and road closures remain in place as investigations continue.

       A number of messages featuring pictures of doves were posted below a rap video on Instagram, in which a masked figure is seen holding a microphone as he performs for the camera in an underground car park.

       A close friend of the victim, who visited the police cordon on Tuesday night before breaking down in tears, told The Mirror: “That’s my friend. He’s my good friend. I used to see him after school, he didn’t deserve this. He was a nice person. I finished school and my mum told me he got stabbed.

       “He was a very nice person. He was good at football, but I don’t think he was perusing it as a career.”

       He also was "briefly" a pupil at St Columba's Catholic Boys School in Bexleyheath, south-east London, in 2022.

       The South East London Catholic Academy Trust released a statement to say: "We are saddened by the loss of life in Woolwich yesterday of a young boy who was briefly a pupil of St Columba's in 2022.

       "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time.

       "Our schools will provide support to any of the students who may be affected by this senseless violence."

       Superintendent Louise Sargent, the borough commander for Woolwich, described the attack as a "horrendous crime".

       She said: “Our thoughts at this time are with the victim’s family and friends. This is a horrendous crime and I cannot imagine what they must be going through right now.

       "No arrests have been made at this early stage, but we are working at pace to identify and arrest those involved. Police cordons and road closures will remain in place while we continue to carry out enquiries.

       She added: “I know this will be a worrying time for everyone here in Woolwich, and all the more so given the very young age of the victim. The community can expect to see an enhanced police presence around the scene and the surrounding area."

       Police have urged anyone with information about the incident to come forward.