A man acting as a fake groom in a sham marriage scam has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 25-year-old Riches Obi and the false imprisonment of his mother, Bernadette Ortet. Jurick Croes, 38, will serve a minimum of 30 years for the crime committed in Elephant and Castle, London.
The incident stemmed from a dispute over a sham marriage scam. Croes, who was paid £500 for his role in the scam, had expected a £50,000 payout. When the money didn’t materialize, he and his accomplices, Suvenca Martis and Raichell Felomina, hatched a plan to rob Ms. Ortet.
On the day of the attack, November 17, 2020, Croes, Martis, and Felomina went to Ms. Ortet’s house near Elephant and Castle. When Riches Obi tried to protect his mother, he was fatally stabbed by Croes. The three intruders bound Ms. Ortet with cable ties and a scarf in a bedroom, leaving her helpless as her son was murdered.
Following a retrial, Croes was found guilty of Mr Obi’s murder and the false imprisonment of Ms Ortet. On Friday, July 12, he was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 30 years. Judge Nigel Lickley described the murder as “vicious and savage,” noting that Mr Obi was a defenceless man in his own home. Croes was sentenced to nine years for false imprisonment, to be served concurrently.
Raichell Felomina, 40, was convicted of false imprisonment and sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison. Suvenca Martis, 34, was convicted of false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice, receiving a total sentence of 11-and-a-half years. Martis was also sentenced to three-and-a-half years for five counts of possession of drugs with intent to supply, including MDMA, heroin, and cocaine.
Judge Lickley stated that Martis had been a “willing and active” participant in the plan. Both Martis and Felomina have previous convictions in the Netherlands for various offences, including theft, threats to kill, and drug-related crimes.
Ms Ortet, who is currently in Nigeria, submitted a victim impact statement to the court, describing her trauma and grief. She condemned the “heartless” defendants and mourned the loss of her son, whom she described as the “cornerstone” of the family. “My mind knows nothing but trauma and terror. I lost the full function of my neck since I was assaulted,” she said.
The court heard that police were called to the property in Harper Road, near Elephant and Castle, on November 17, 2020, following reports of a stabbing. Officers arrived to find the front door partly open and Mr. Obi collapsed in the hallway with stab and slash wounds to his chest. Despite efforts to save him, Mr Obi was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ms Ortet was found in a bedroom with her wrists and ankles bound with cable ties and a scarf around her neck. The room was heavily stained with blood. An investigation revealed that Mr Obi’s bedroom had been searched, and a roll of duct tape was found under a chair. Martis was captured on CCTV buying cable ties and black tape at a hardware store in Camberwell, south London.
Prosecutor Jennifer Knight KC told jurors, “The background to these offences seems to lie in a sham marriage scheme in which all three of these defendants and Bernadette Ortet were engaged. These defendants had become angry about the remuneration they were receiving and went to Bernadette Ortet’s flat determined to demand and obtain money from her.”
The convictions mark the end of a complex case involving multiple defendants with a history of criminal activity and highlight the violent lengths to which individuals will go in pursuit of financial gain.
