Following a three-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court, David Joseph Johnson, 37, of Haddo Street, Greenwich, was found guilty of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm with intent. At an earlier court appearance, he pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article.
Ibrahim Bah, 34, was described by his family as “a loving father and a wonderful brother” before succumbing to a single stab wound in the early hours of Sunday, May 1, 2022.
A fight broke out shortly after 2 a.m. on 1 May 2022, following an altercation between a large group of people outside Belushi’s bar near Greenwich railway station.
In court, CCTV footage showed Johnson pulling a knife from his waistband and waving it around, slashing a 37-year-old man across the arm.
He then dashed over to Bah and stabbed him once in the abdomen. Bah collapsed on the sidewalk and was surrounded by onlookers who rushed to his aid.
Officers and paramedics rushed to the scene, and Bah was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died an hour later.
Detectives identified Johnson after reviewing mobile phone and CCTV footage of the incident, and BTP officers arrested him the next day at an address in New Cross, London.
DI “Johnson’s senseless and cowardice violence that night has resulted in the needless loss of a caring father,” Daren Bates, the case’s senior investigating officer, said. My heart goes out to Bah’s family, whose lives will never be the same. While no verdict will ever be sufficient for them, I hope they can find solace in the fact that Johnson will be incarcerated for the foreseeable future.
“This conviction is the result of our investigative team’s tireless efforts to ensure Britain’s callous criminals are removed from society and imprisoned.”
Following the verdict, Ibrahim Bah’s family said: “Ibrahim was a loving father a great son a wonderful brother, and beloved to all those that knew him. He will be greatly missed by all, and his death was tragic and unnecessary. His son will grow up without his father, and we all hope that this heinous knife crime will end.” We are pleased with the outcome and believe that justice was served. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of the officers who have worked tirelessly on this case, particularly DS Paul Burbridge and Family Liaison Officer Jess Nye, for all of their help during this difficult time.”
