Paul Dalton, who was aged 41, was attacked by another resident who had sought him out after a brief verbal disagreement a short time earlier. On Friday, 1 July, Mongo Bolili, 35 , also known as ‘Ed’, of Merton, was convicted at the Old Bailey of murdering Paul in a brief but deadly assault as he was sitting in another resident’s room at the venue. He was sentenced on Friday, 4 November, to life imprisonment with a minimum of 23 years, reduced to 21 years and 72 days due to time spent in custody. An investigation was launched after police were called at 12.55am on 13 January 2021 to reports of a stabbing at an address in Wimbledon. Paul was found in a pool of blood. Despite extensive efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at the scene. A special post-mortem examination held on 14 January 2021 gave the cause of death as a single stab wound to the back of the left thigh, puncturing the femoral vein and artery. CCTV captured Paul slamming a communal door, adjacent to Bolili’s room. Bolili then searched the building, apparently looking for Paul. At 00:37hrs, Paul was sitting in a friend’s room, before Bolili entered and then left in less than two minutes. This was when the attack was inflicted. Paul’s friend witnessed the attack and gave crucial evidence at trial. Paul’s friend alerted residents and staff who called the police and rendered first aid. A forensic examination found Paul’s blood on the blade and Bolili’s DNA on the handle. DCI Jim Shirley who led the investigation said: “Bolili claimed Paul’s friend had stabbed him, but there was no evidence at all to support this, My team of officers worked fast and incredibly hard for Paul and I thank them for their diligence and dedication. I hope Paul’s family can derive some comfort that we have done everything we possibly could to bring them justice.”
