A man has been convicted of murdering an acquaintance before concealing his body beneath a tarpaulin inside a derelict building in Lewisham. Daniel Watkis, 30, was found guilty of the murder of Junior Coleman, 43, following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, 10 July. The conviction follows what the Metropolitan Police described as a meticulous investigation involving CCTV, forensic evidence, digital enquiries and witness accounts. 
Victim beaten to death
The court heard that Mr Coleman was killed on the evening of 9 July at the former Brockley Social Club on Brockley Road, where both men had been sleeping rough. Earlier that day, CCTV captured Watkis and Mr Coleman walking together towards the disused building. Detectives established that Watkis returned to the property shortly before 11pm, where Mr Coleman was already inside. Forensic evidence showed Mr Coleman was subjected to a fatal assault before his body was moved and concealed beneath a tarpaulin and other items in a rear bar area. A post-mortem examination later concluded he died from blunt force trauma to the head and face, with injuries consistent with repeated heavy blows from a blunt object.
Body discovered after missing person investigation
Concern for Mr Coleman’s welfare grew after he disappeared and he was reported missing by his family. On 19 September, officers searching the former social club discovered his body concealed inside the building. Detectives recovered several items belonging to Watkis close to the body, including his bank card, Freedom Pass and provisional driving licence. A nearby water bottle was also forensically linked to him. Investigators also found that shortly after the murder, Watkis stopped using his usual mobile phone, later reported his bank card as stolen and discouraged others from reporting Mr Coleman missing.
Arrest and conviction
Watkis was arrested at an address in Hackney on 24 September. During police interviews, he largely answered “no comment”, denying murdering Mr Coleman and, at times, even knowing him despite evidence showing the pair had spent time together and were both staying at the former social club. He was charged with murder two days later. Following the trial, the jury found Watkis guilty of murder.
Detective praises investigation
Detective Chief Inspector Suzanne Soren, who led the investigation, paid tribute to Mr Coleman’s family and the officers involved in the case. She said:
“Junior Coleman was a much-loved son, brother, father and friend whose life mattered deeply to those who knew him. Today my thoughts are firmly with everyone who knew and loved him.
“This was a complex investigation that relied on the determination and professionalism of detectives and forensic specialists who painstakingly pieced together hundreds of individual lines of enquiry over many months.”
She added that the verdict demonstrated that those responsible for the most serious crimes could not rely on “time, concealment or deception” to escape justice. Watkis is due to be sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on 9 October.
