Man Convicted of Murdering Russell Jordan Jones in Enfield
Following a retrial, Kyle Gordon, 24, of Enfield, has been convicted of the murder of 23-year-old Russell Jordan Jones in Enfield. The conviction comes after a harrowing incident that took place on a cold night in March 2018. Gordon, along with others armed with a sawn-off shotgun and knives, embarked on a search for opposing […]
Man Appears in Court Charged with Murder in Uxbridge
An 18-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of John Cavanagh in Uxbridge. Jimmy McDonagh, of Dawley Avenue, Hayes, was charged with the murder of John Cavanagh on Friday, March 8. Cavanagh tragically lost his life following an assault on Dawley Avenue.
Four Men Jailed for Brutal New Year’s Day Knife Attack in Southwark
Four men have been sentenced to more than 100 years in prison collectively for their involvement in a vicious knife attack in Southwark, central London, on New Year’s Day last year. The victim, an 18-year-old man, miraculously survived despite sustaining 60 stab wounds in the assault, which left him fighting for his life. Kevaniel Perkins-Robinson, […]
Martyn Blake Pleads Not Guilty to Murder in Chris Kaba Shooting Case
A Metropolitan Police firearms officer, identified as Martyn Blake, has entered a plea of not guilty to the murder of Chris Kaba. The 24-year-old Mr. Kaba tragically lost his life from a single gunshot wound during a Metropolitan Police operation in Streatham, south London, in September 2022. Martyn Blake, 40, formerly known by the codename […]
Boyfriend of Constance Marten Refuses to Give Evidence at Trial for Death of Newborn Daughter
The trial of Mark Gordon, the boyfriend of Constance Marten, has taken a dramatic turn as Gordon, aged 49, has chosen not to provide evidence at the Old Bailey trial. Marten, 36, and Gordon are facing charges related to the death of their newborn daughter, Victoria. The couple stands accused of killing their daughter by […]
Lewisham Man Expresses Remorse After Brutal Murder of Girlfriend and Her Family
A Lewisham man who killed his girlfriend and three of her family while fuelled by drugs and alcohol has said he is “disgusted with himself”.
Joshua Jacques, 29, murdered his 27-year-old girlfriend Samantha Drummonds, her mum Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and Ms Hill’s partner, Denton Burke, 58.
At the Old Bailey on Friday (March 1) Jacques barrister was asked to read a statement on behalf of his client.
“I would like to say to the family of the deceased, I am truly and sincerely sorry for all of the anguish, pain and heartache I have caused,” Jacques wrote.
He added: “I am disgusted with myself and I cannot believe that I am the cause of this monstrosity.”
Dolet Hill and Denton Burke (left), Tanysha (or Rachquel) Ofori-Akuffo (top right), Samantha Drummonds (Image: Met Police)Officers found Mr Burke’s body at the foot of the stairs and the three women “heaped together” in the kitchen.
Mr Justice Bryan said Jacques had committed the “horrific catalogue of murders” after abusing skunk cannabis.
Addressing Jacques in the dock, Mr Justice Bryan said he had inflicted the murders “in the most brutal of circumstances on three generations of the same family” after increasing his daily intake of skunk cannabis.
He said that Jacques’ offending had been contributed to by cannabis abuse, and that he was “well aware” of the impact of it on his mental health.
He added: “It is a salutary lesson to all those who peddle the myth that cannabis is not a dangerous drug.
“It is, and its deleterious effect on mental health and its potential to cause psychosis is well established.”
Jacques appeared emotionless as he was sentenced.
Jacuqes (Image: Met Police)A cry of “murderer” could be heard from the public gallery as he was sent down.
At the scene, armed officers discovered Jacques naked and lying in the upstairs bathroom in a praying position, screaming “Allah, take me!”, “Kill me now”, “Get rid of me”, and “God please forgive me”.
Later, at Lewisham Hospital, Jacques said: “I ain’t even in the wrong, I did them for sacrifice”, and also warned: “I will do something stupid again.”
Paul Raudnitz KC, mitigating for Jacques at the sentencing hearing, said the attack was not pre-meditated.
He also read out an apology from his client to the victims’ families – the first time that Jacques has expressed remorse for his actions.
“I would like to say to the family of the deceased, I am truly and sincerely sorry for all of the anguish, pain and heartache I have caused,” Jacques wrote.
He added: “I have discussed it with myself and I cannot believe that I am the cause of this monstrosity.”
In a victim impact statement, Tracey-Ann Henry, the daughter of Ms Hill and the sister of Ms Ofori-Akuffo, said her mother had only just beaten cancer before she was murdered.
She said her mother had her last radiotherapy session the day before she was stabbed to death.
Ms Henry, who is the aunt of Ms Drummonds, said: “How could someone kill four people in one night?
“It is like something from a horror movie.”
Danny Ofori-Akuffo, the husband of Tanysha, said in his impact statement that he had “cried like a child” following the incident.
“I am a proud man and I have cried like a child in front of so many people,” he said.
He described his horror at having to identify his wife’s body.
“I remember wailing out in pain,” he said.
“My heart had shattered into pieces.”
Jacques admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the basis that he was mentally unwell at the time.
An Old Bailey jury deliberated for two hours to find Jacques, from Minard Road, Lewisham, south-east London, guilty of four counts of murder.
Lewisham Man Jailed for Life for Stabbing Girlfriend and Her Family to Death
A Lewisham man who stabbed his girlfriend and three of her family members to death as a “sacrifice” has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 46 years.
Joshua Jacques, 29, was fuelled by drugs and alcohol when he attacked Samantha Drummonds and her family with a knife in their home in Delaford Road, Bermondsey.
Police found the bodies of Ms Drummonds, 27, her mother Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and Ms Hill’s partner, Denton Burke, 58, after being alerted to a disturbance by a neighbour.
Officers found Mr Burke’s body at the foot of the stairs and the three women “heaped together” in the kitchen.
Dolet Hill and Denton Burke (left), Tanysha (or Rachquel) Ofori-Akuffo (top right), Samantha Drummonds (Image: Met Police)
Armed officers discovered Jacques naked and lying in the upstairs bathroom in a praying position, screaming “Allah, take me!”, “Kill me now”, “Get rid of me”, and “God please forgive me”.
Later, at Lewisham Hospital, Jacques said: “I ain’t even in the wrong, I did them for sacrifice”, and also warned: “I will do something stupid again.”
He admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the basis that he was mentally unwell at the time.
An Old Bailey jury deliberated for two hours to find Jacques, from Minard Road, Lewisham, south-east London, guilty of four counts of murder.
Jacques committed the “horrific catalogue of murders” after abusing skunk cannabis, a judge told the Old Bailey as he sentenced him to life with a minimum term of 46 years.
Addressing Jacques in the dock, Mr Justice Bryan said he had inflicted the murders “in the most brutal of circumstances on three generations of the same family” after increasing his daily intake of skunk cannabis.
He said Jacques’ offending had been contributed to by cannabis abuse and that he was “well aware” of the impact of it on his mental health.
He added: “It is a salutary lesson to all those who peddle the myth that cannabis is not a dangerous drug.
“It is, and its deleterious effect on mental health and its potential to cause psychosis is well established.”
Family Members to Face Trial for Murder of 10-Year-Old Sara Sharif
Three members of 10-year-old Sara Sharif’s family will face a murder trial after her body was found under blanket on a bunk bed.
Her dad Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother, Beinash Batool, 29, and uncle, Faisal Malik, 28, are accused of killing her.
The have each pleaded not guilty to murder and to causing or allowing the death of a child between December 16, 2022 and August 9, 2023.
All three appeared at the Old Bailey by video-link on Friday as Judge Mark Lucraft set a date for their trial on October 1.
The judge confirmed the case would take up to six weeks and be heard before High Court judge Mr Justice Cavanagh.
A previous court hearing was told police found Sara’s body under a blanket on a bunk bed at her home in Woking after receiving a call from Pakistan, which lasted eight minutes and 34 seconds, at 2.47am on August 10.
It is alleged the defendants had booked a flight to the country two days earlier.
Prosecutors told the Old Bailey that Sara was found to have “a constellation of healed and healing injuries”.
The day before her body was discovered, the three defendants had left the UK for Pakistan with five children.
They returned to the UK on September 13 and were arrested on landing at Gatwick Airport.
The defendants, formerly of Hammond Road in Woking, appeared from Belmarsh and Bronzefield prisons and were further remanded into custody.
Belmarsh Prison Officer Jailed for Conspiring to Frame Inmate for Murder
A Belmarsh prison officer who was paid £500 to frame an inmate of murder has been jailed for over four years, court staff confirmed.
Wiktoria Bujko, 30, of Marlborough Road in Woolwich, gave a report about a “made-up confession” by one of three men awaiting trial for murder.
Three men were eventually found guilty of murdering Iron Miah, 40, who was shot dead on his doorstep in Shadwell.
Mohammed Moshaer Ali, Antonio Afflick-McLeod, and Aaron Campbell were found guilty of his murder at the conclusion of a third Old Bailey trial on January 9.
But an earlier trial had to be aborted after former prison officer Bujko came forward with a false account to police.
Prosecutor Crispin Aylett KC said Ali had put Bujko up to creating an “entirely false account of a confession by Aaron Campbell”.
Ali had “repeatedly shown himself to be an outrageous liar” and rewarded Bujko with “money, gifts and promises”, Mr Aylett said.
At the time, she was working at high security HMP Belmarsh in Woolwich where all three defendants were being held on remand.
Iron Miah was killed in November 2019 in Whitechapel (Image: Met Police) On October 17, 2022, shortly before a retrial was due to begin, Bujko made a statement about a conversation she claimed to have overheard the previous weekend in the prison healthcare unit between Campbell and another inmate.
Someone paid £500 into Bukjo’s bank account the day after she submitted her witness statement, the court was told.
Her account suggested that Campbell and Afflick-McLeod had planned to rob Ali of drugs.
They encountered Mr Miah when Ali sent him to a meeting in his place, she claimed.
An examination of CCTV footage of the unit revealed that Campbell was not there when she claimed to have witnessed the exchange.
A jury heard that Bujko had known Ali since he was first remanded to HMP Thameside where she had been working.
Bujko, of Marlborough Road, Woolwich, was arrested in December 2022.
While on bail, she applied to be a probation officer and worked one day as a trainee in February 2023 before her employment was terminated.
Bujko and Ali both pleaded guilty to conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
On Wednesday (February 28) Mohammed Moshaer Ali, 31, of Western Avenue in Dagenham was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 36 years for the murder. He has also been convicted of perverting the course of justice.
Antonio Afflick-McLeod, 32, of Mayfair Avenue in Ilford was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and will serve a minimum of 34 years. He was also sentenced for drugs offences, as well as possession of a firearm and possession of pepper spray.
Aaron Campbell, 32, of Star Road in Fulham was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and will serve a minimum of 31 years.
Court staff said Bujko was jailed for four years and eight months.
Man Sentenced for Manslaughter Following Violent Attack in Hounslow
A 45-year-old man, James Donnelly, tragically lost his life after being subjected to a violent and sustained attack at his home in Hounslow. The perpetrator, Leo Pryce, aged 22, of Blair Close, Hayes, has been sentenced for his role in the manslaughter of James Donnelly, following a hearing at the Old Bailey on Thursday, February […]
Detectives Bring New Charges in Hackney Murder Investigation
Detectives investigating the murder of Lianne Gordon in Hackney have announced further charges linked to their ongoing investigation. Lianne Gordon, aged 42, tragically lost her life after being fatally shot in Vine Close, E5 on Tuesday, December 5, 2023. Since then, murder detectives have been diligently conducting enquiries to ascertain the circumstances surrounding her death.
Man Charged with Murder of Robert Weston in Harrow
Detectives have taken a significant step forward in the investigation into the tragic death of Robert Weston in Harrow, charging a 19-year-old man with his murder. Jaden Sheriff, aged 19 and residing on Forston Street, N1, was arrested on Tuesday, 27 February, under suspicion of murder. Following his arrest, he was formally charged with murder […]
First Picture of Bernard Fowler Murdered Outside Harold Wood Station by a Hammer whilst getting a copy of the Metro
A community is reeling from shock and sorrow following a devastating incident outside Harold Wood station on Tuesday, February 27, which claimed the life of 87-year-old Bernard Fowler. Known for his gentle demeanour and daily routine of fetching a newspaper, Fowler’s life was tragically cut short when he fell victim to a brutal attack with […]
Three Men Jailed for Murdering Man on His Doorstep in Tower Hamlets
After a lengthy investigation, three men have been sentenced for the murder of Iron Miah, who was fatally shot on his doorstep in Tower Hamlets on 19 November 2019. The incident left Miah with a catastrophic brain injury, leading to his death two days later in the hospital. The convicted individuals, Mohamed Moshaer Ali, Antonio […]
‘Lovely’ Pensioner ‘Murdered’ Outside Harold Wood Station Was Getting His Morning Paper
A heart-wrenching tragedy unfolded outside Harold Wood station on Tuesday, February 27, when an 87-year-old pensioner, Bernard Fowler, was found murdered. Described by a family friend as a “lovely man,” Fowler was known for his morning routine of fetching a newspaper, a ritual abruptly interrupted by the unthinkable. Charmaine Tonks, reminisced about Fowler, affectionately known […]
Broken Britain: Murder Victim Identified as 87 Year old Bernard Fowler in Harold Wood Station Murder
Detectives investigating the murder of a man in Harold Wood on February 27 have identified the victim as 87-year-old Bernard Fowler from Havering. Bernard Fowler’s family has requested privacy during this difficult time.
Broken Britain: Murder Victim Identified as 87 Year old Bernard Fowler in Harold Wood Station Murder
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Sam Painter expressed condolences, stating, “My thoughts are with Bernard’s family and loved ones at this time. His family are currently being supported by specially trained officers.” Painter further addressed the community’s concerns, emphasizing that the incident was isolated. He urged the public to refrain from speculating further on […]
Man Found Guilty of Attempted Murder After Setting Fire to Ex-Partner’s Flat
A man who relentlessly harassed his ex-partner on social media before committing a horrifying act of violence has been convicted of attempted murder and other serious offences. Harry Owusu-Manu, 39, of New Kent Road, Southwark, was found guilty on 23 February at the Old Bailey of two counts of attempted murder, aggravated arson with intent […]
