Jailed in London in May: 35 killers, drug dealers, robbers and sex offenders

This month in London’s courts, defendants have been jailed for fatal stabbings, sexual offences and drugs dealing.

While the Met faces its internal problems - and further scandals have emerged involving officers - the force continues to build cases after investigating serious offences in the capital.

Here we round up some of the defendants jailed for serious crimes.

‘Obsession with necrophilia, paedophilia, animal abuse, murder and torture’

Ethan Payne, 19, of Tollington Road, Islington, was jailed for four years, with an extension period of three years. Payne, a microbiology student who worked part-time in a bakery, appeared on May 2 at Snaresbrook Crown Court, charged with 11 counts related to the possession and distribution of images of abuse. He previously pleaded guilty to 10 charges in November.

In 2022 police received three separate referrals for uploads of indecent images of children on Snapchat, Instagram and Discord. Police said that in October, material found on devices seized was “disturbing in the extreme”, and showed Payne to be a “dangerous sex offender obsessed with necrophilia, paedophilia, animal abuse, murder and torture”.

Murder of Sarah Crump in 1991

David Smith, 66, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 27 years for the 1991 murder of Sarah Crump, who was attacked and killed in her own home in Southall. He was found guilty on Wednesday and sentenced on Friday.

Smith was acquitted of the murder in 1993 and went on to kill 21-year-old Amanda Walker, a crime for which he has served 24 years of a life sentence.

Sarah’s family said in a statement: “At long last justice for our lovely Sarah. If only our Mum and Dad were here with us today to share this momentous occasion. After the disheartening acquittal at the Old Bailey in 1993, our mum said that David Smith would kill again. Eight years after Sarah’s murder, he was found guilty of an even more savage murder and mutilation of a young woman and mother, which he later admitted. Thirty years may have passed but we still miss Sarah - she was a shining light in a murky world who wished for the best but found the worst of humanity. We would like to thank everyone involved in this very difficult investigation. Their determination and tenacity has ensured the correct verdict has finally been reached. Our thanks extend especially to all the witnesses who came forward at great personal sacrifice.”

Killer murdered former partner

A killer who stalked and attacked a woman in a brutal knife attack in South Ealing was jailed for 29 years. Anna Jedrkowiak died after being stabbed several times in Roberts Alley, off Church Gardens, at shortly after midnight on Tuesday, May 17 last year.

Dennis Akpomedaye, 29, of Blewitt Street, Newport, was found guilty following a trial at Kingston Crown Court. On May 31 he was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 29 years.

Akpomedaye was previously in a relationship with his victim and became obsessed after they separated. On the night of her death, the 21-year-old, known to friends and family as Ania, had finished work at an Ealing restaurant and was walking home with a friend when she was victim to the premeditated attack.

Murder and abuse of Jacob Lennon

Jake Drummond, 33, of Tunworth Crescent, Roehampton, was sentenced to 32 years at the Old Bailey on Friday (May) for the murder of 15-month-old Jacob Lennon, having been found guilty in March.

Jacob’s mother, Louise Lennon, 32, of Ingrave Street, Battersea, was sentenced to 10 years for neglect and causing or allowing the death of Jacob.

In the early hours of August 27, 2019, the emergency services were called to a home in Putney, and Jacob was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead soon afterwards.

A post-mortem examination found traumatic brain injuries, some of which were from a period of days or weeks earlier. The cause of death was a fatal brain injury inflicted three to five hours before Jacob’s death. In addition, there were extensive injuries to his body.

Paedophile Met Police officer

PC Farhan Ghadiali was found guilty of sexual assault in March, following an investigation by Essex Police. The jury found that Ghadiali, while off duty, sexually assaulted a child in 2019 in Essex.

He was sentenced on Wednesday to 30 months in prison, handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register. Ghadiali, who has since been sacked, was attached to the Central West Command Unit.

Chief Superintendent Louise Puddefoot, Central West Command Unit, said: "PC Ghadiali was found guilty of an extremely serious offence. If the Met is to secure both the confidence and trust of the public we need to better protect our integrity by rooting out those that are not fit to serve, such as this individual who today has been sentenced. We are putting more resources into investigating allegations of such misconduct.”

Dog attacked child

An 11-year-old girl was walking along Ben Jonson Road, Stepney Green, on September 28 on her way to school, when a dog lunged at her and bit her on the hand and arm. A passing taxi driver freed her from the dog’s grip but she was treated in hospital for several days.

The dog’s owner, Siddique Ali, left the scene but was identified after police put out an appeal. The 43-year-old, of Ackroyd Drive, Mile End, appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on May 12 and was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment for being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury to a person contrary to Section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act. He was banned from keeping a dog for 10 years. Ali pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates Court in December.

East London armed robberies

James Mansbridge, 48, of Bond Street, Chelmsford and Wayne Byrne, 41, of Rush Green Road, Romford, were jailed after a Flying Squad investigation into armed robberies in east London.

On Christmas Eve, 2021, two robbers threatened the driver of a delivery van in Goodmayes armed with a gun and a knife. They stole the van and drove it to a cul-de-sac in Dagenham, where the contents were transferred to a BMW X5 bearing a false number plate. A third member of the gang drove them away from the scene. She is Lana Clayton, 42, of Rayleigh Road, Woodford. Clayton pleaded guilty to robbery, but Mansbridge and Byrne entered not guilty pleas to the offence which will be left on file.

The same BMW was used as the getaway vehicle in an armed robbery on a convenience store in Mawney Road, Romford, on the evening of January 2, 2022. Clayton recced the shop prior to Mansbridge and Byrne committing the robbery armed with a gun. They made off with a quantity of cash and Clayton drove them away from the scene. All three pleaded guilty to this offence.

On the evening of January 21, 2022, the two men carried out an armed raid on a supermarket in Gale Street, Dagenham. Mansbridge terrorised staff with an imitation firearm; Byrne with a knife. They made off with a quantity of cash and cigarettes. Clayton had purchased the BMW four days before the delivery van robbery and was driving it on false plates.

On 19 May 2023, all three were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court. James Mansbridge was jailed for eight and a half years and Wayne Byrne for eight years, with both having pleaded guilty to the two robberies in 2022. Lana Clayton was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. She had pleaded guilty to robbery in relation to the delivery van in Goodmayes and the store in Mawney Road.

Heroin found in crashed van

Five men were jailed for their involvement with heroin with a street value of £100,000.

A police investigation began after officers stopped a Mercedes being driven by Nathan Fellows, with Kevin Gyasi and Touras Bailey as passengers, as the vehicle travelled on Romford Road. The vehicle failed to stop for police before it hit bollards on Snowshill Way. Bailey and Gyasi ran off but were found in nearby Salisbury Road were they were both arrested, Fellows remained in the vehicle. A kilogram of heroin was located at the scene of the stop.

Detectives reviewed mobile phone data and ANPR data and it was identified that Shahab Sheikh supplied the drugs to Bailey, Gyasi and Fellows. Phone analysis and fingerprints on the packaging led officers to Ripon Ali as the man who initially supplied the drugs to Sheikh.

Ripon Ali, appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on May 19, when he was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin, a concurrent three years for being concerned in the supply of illegal substances, and a five years in prison for possession of a firearm to be served consecutively.

In April 2019, three other defendants were sentenced following late guilty pleas. Kevin Gyasi, 30, of Markhouse Road, was sentenced to 10 years and three months imprisonment for possession with intent to supply heroin, three months imprisonment for knife possession and one year imprisonment for perverting the course of justice relating to a prior offence. Nathan Fellows, 36, of College Place, was sentenced to seven years for possession with intent to supply heroin and a year, to run concurrently, for theft of motor vehicle. Touras Bailey, 31, of Woodview Avenue, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment for possession with intent to supply heroin. All three had a count of a possession of counterfeit laid on file.

In June 2021, Shahab Sheikh, 33, of Epping New Road, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin and a further three years for perverting the course of justice by handing a note to his co-defendant providing written instructions of what to say. For a further count of possession of counterfeit currency, Sheikh was sentenced to six months in prison, to be served concurrently. This sentence took place after a full trial.

Man filmed woman in the bedroom and bathroom

Oliver Charles Fay, 45, of Bishops Way, Bethnal Green, appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on May 19, when he was sentenced to two years and 10 months imprisonment for six counts of voyeurism in 2019 and 2022, along with and three counts of making indecent images of children. Fay had previously pleaded guilty on 6 January.

In January, officers executed a warrant at Fay’s home address in Bethnal Green, following intelligence from the National Crime Agency that linked Fay to the upload of indecent images of children to the internet. Whilst reviewing his phone officers quickly identified that Fay had been covertly filmed a woman.

Several electronic devices belonging to Fay were seized and police found 9,831 indecent images of children, including 1,200 of which were the most serious category.

Jailed for rape nearly 20 years ago

Lindell Campbell, 65, of Burke Close, in south London, was jailed for six years after detectives secured DNA evidence linking him to 2004 rape. Having previously been unable to identify the suspect, the case was re-opened following a DNA match in relation to another crime in 2018.

In October 2004, a woman in her 20s, who was visiting from America, went to a pub alone in Mortlake, having been unable to contact a friend. She met Campbell, known as ‘Tony’, and he offered her a place to stay. He raped her twice.

In 2018, Campbell was linked to a harassment case in which chewing gum was thrown at someone’s front door and car. DNA tests were performed on the chewing gum, which matched the DNA found at the time of the rape. However, as Campbell had never been arrested, his DNA was not on the system. He was recognised, although not identified, by the victim of harassment who believed he lived in Burke Close.

Officers compared CCTV from a 2014 incident, to that of several of the harassment incidents, to confirm the identity of Tony Campbell. Once in custody, a fast-time DNA test was carried out, confirming a match to both the rape and harassment cases.

A trial took place at Kingston Crown Court and Campbell was found guilty of two counts of rape on May 9. He was sentenced on the same day to six years' imprisonment.

Coercive control

Harry England, 22, of Richford Street, Hammersmith, was sentenced to a six-month, suspended sentence on Thursday, May 18, at Isleworth Crown Court after pleading guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour.

He was ordered to engage in an 18-month community order, to attend a ‘building better relationships’ programme. He was ordered to undertake 85 hours of unpaid work. A restraining order was also put in place.

The victim said: “Meeting Harry England is the one thing I regret about moving to London. I came here, full of hope and excited about my future. I wanted to make friends and have fun. I came to London to work and experience life, make a career in something I have wanted to do since I was 12-years old. When I met Harry, everything changed. His actions broke me. He made me question my faith and trust in people. I have spent the last three years trying to fix what he broke. Re-establishing relationships, learning to trust people, finding healthy ways to deal with stress, working out what life is about and trying to live in a way I can be proud of.

“I am grateful to the police for believing in me and supporting me when I really needed it. I will never be the same girl I was when I first met him, and that saddens me. She was a lot more calm and a lot more forgiving.”

Attempted rape in victim’s flat

Hackney man Karan Pullock, 37, pleaded guilty in January 2023 to attempted robbery, attempted rape, sexual assault and threats to kill. Additional counts of attempted rape and false imprisonment were left on file. On May 19, at Wood Green Crown Court, he was jailed for 12 years.

The charges relate to an incident on June 3, 2022, when Pullock entered the victim’s home while the victim was out - and attacked her at knifepoint when she returned.

Shooting at strangers

William Solhotra, 35, of London Road, Norbury, was jailed for 13 years and six months at Kingston Crown Court on May 19, having been convicted at an earlier hearing of two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and possession of ammunition. He had pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A, B and C drugs.

CCTV footage captured the incident on July 2 2022 on Mitcham Lane. Solhotra, in a silver BMW, got into an argument with two men who had just crossed the street, before he fired a shot at them. All three parties then left the scene prior to police arrival. There were no reported injuries following the incident.

Specialist firearms officers stopped Solhotra as he was driving his car from the Crawley area back to London on July 6. Officers searched the vehicle and found the firearm inside his strap bag, while his phone work which was seized would place him at the scene.

Internet fraud mastermind

The man responsible for running the multi-million-pound fraud website iSpoof was jailed for 13 years and four months. Tejay Fletcher, 35, of Western Gateway, Newham, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on May 18. He previously pleaded guilty to making or supplying articles for use in fraud, encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence, possessing criminal property and transferring criminal property.

iSpoof enabled criminals to appear as if they were calling from banks, tax offices and other official bodies as they attempted to defraud victims who lost millions. Confirmed losses to UK victims is £43 million with estimated global losses in excess of £100 million.

Cocaine, MDMA, cannabis, ketamine and mushrooms

Frank Chapman, 24, of Mildmay Street, Islington, appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on May 16 and was jailed for five years and eight months for drug offences.

He had previously pleaded not guilty, but on the first day of his trial on February 20, he pleaded guilty to four counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, two counts of possession with intent to supply class B drugs, and four counts of drug supply relating to class A and B substances.

Last February, Chapman was stopped by police in Hackney. When officers searched his home they seized drugs including cocaine, MDMA, cannabis, ketamine and mushrooms.

Chapman first came to the notice of police when detectives received information about his activities and additional work confirmed his activities running a drug line via a mobile phone.

Death by dangerous driving

Rida Kazem, 24, of Costons Avenue, Greenford was jailed for causing the death of 33-year-old Yagmur Ozden by dangerous driving in west London. He appeared at Isleworth Crown Court on May 17, when he was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years' imprisonment. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 years. Kazem had previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The court heard Kazem was driving a car involved in a fatal road traffic collision on the westbound A40 near Park Royal Underground Station early in the morning on August 22 last year. He had picked up two passengers in a Range Rover from an address in Johnsons Way before driving along Coronation Road and onto the A40. Stopped at a junction, when the lights turned green he accelerated away to around 110mph - over twice the speed limit. Underestimating a slight bend in the road, he hit the kerb. The vehicle lost a wheel but continued moving towards a Tesla car park. The vehicle smashed into a stationary Tesla, with the driver, a man aged in his 50s, sat inside. The vehicle flipped over a wall and finally came to rest on the railway tracks of Park Royal Tube Station.

One of his passengers, 33-year-old Yagmur, died at the scene. The second passenger and the driver of the Tesla have since made full recoveries. Kazem himself was in a critical condition but recovered.

Kazem had two previous speeding offences with his most recent offence involving him travelling at 95mph in 50mph road for which he received a disqualification from the court. This driving ban ended in June 2022 just months prior to the fatal collision.

Deano drugs line

In early February 2022, police became aware of the ‘Deano’ drugs line which was being used to sell heroin and crack cocaine in Camden. Bulk text messages would be sent to users before dealers travelled to the area to sell drugs.

Inside a car stopped on April 5 this year, two men - Onyx Guytano and Mahamud Mahamud - were found in possession of around £1,000, three mobile phones and weighing scales. The phones were linked to Deano and detectives also recovered a Snapchat recording of Guytano boasting about the money he had made by selling drugs.

Guytano, 23, of Overton Road, Abbey Wood, and Mahamud, 28, of Zambezi Drive, Edmonton, both pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin at Harrow Crown Court on May 11. Guytano was sentenced to four years' imprisonment and Mahamud was sentenced to three-and-a-half years' imprisonment.

Murderers fled to Kenya

Two more men were jailed for the murder of 16-year-old Alex Smith following work by Met detectives, the National Crime Agency and the Kenyan authorities.

Siyad Mohamud, 24, of Barker Drive, Camden, and Tariq Monteiro, 23, of Conway Mews, Fitzrovia, were charged in January 2022 after being arrested in Kenya and returned to the UK. Both were found guilty of the murder of Alex Smith at the Old Bailey and on May 12 Monteiro was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 24 years, while Mohamud was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 23 years

Previously Abdirahman Ibrahim, now 22, of Pratt Street, Camden, was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 18 years for murder and assisting an offender following a retrial in March 2021. Prior to that Arif Biomy, now 22, of Wickham Lane, Greenwich, was found guilty of murder and sentenced in March 2020 to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 21 years.

Alex Smith was attacked and stabbed just on August 12, 2019. He left a restaurant in Great Portland Street in the company of others who associated with a Camden street gang. They were spotted by rival gang members, and Alex was eventually chased by three males, including Mohamud and Monteiro, into Munster Square, just north of Euston Road, where he was stabbed to death.

Drugs worth £1.6m and knuckle dusters

Albert Saidu Hines, 58, of Sheridan Court, Hounslow, was jailed for 10 years on May 12 after being found in possession of drugs with a street value of £1.6 million.

Hines pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs – 2.06kg of cocaine; possession with intent to supply Class B drugs – 121.222kg of ketamine; being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs – 21kg of ketamine; possession of an offensive weapon, namely two knuckle dusters; using a fraudulent driving licence.

In October Hines was seen entering a self-storage facility in West Molesey, Surrey, and struggling to carry a large cardboard box which he placed into the boot of his Kia Sportage. The following day, he was watched in Woodfield Road, Hounslow, supplying 21kg of ketamine to Anthony Clinton, 60, of Cromes Place, Badersfield. Clinton was later sentenced to five years and seven months’ imprisonment at Norwich Crown Court for drug supply offences.

On October 18, Hines was arrested in Pidwick Close, Hounslow. In his car boot were three boxes, each containing three large bags of white powder which was established as 5.5kg of ketamine. A further box contained two kilo blocks of cocaine and two knuckle dusters were seized from the glovebox. A further search was conducted at the storage unit and officers seized a money counting machine and cash. Cocaine seized had an estimated worth of £50,000.

Jailed for rape

Eugenio Aveleria, 29, of Ealing, was sentenced to 12 years and two months' imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court on May 15 for rape.

In June 2021 he targeted a woman who had been drinking and fallen unconscious in the street, taking her to his house and attacking her.

Detective Constable Kevin Flynn said: "I would like to mention the victim who showed tremendous courage and strength to come forward and report such an abhorrent incident. It is my sincere hope that the bravery shown by the victim in this case will encourage all victims of sexual violence of any kind to speak to police. We will listen and support you throughout every step of the investigation."

Two jailed for ‘mistake’ murder

Two teenagers were jailed on May 10 for murdering 16-year-old Rishmeet Singh, who they mistakenly thought belonged to a rival gang, in November 2021.

Vanushan Balakrishnan, 18, of Waylands, Hillingdon, was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 24 years. Ilyas Suleiman, 18, of St Jerome’s Grove, Hillingdon, was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 21 years. They were both found guilty of murder on March 6.

Detective Inspector Laura Semple said: “Rishmeet was an innocent, young 16-year-old who had his whole life ahead of him. He had just spent an enjoyable evening with his friends and was making the short walk home when he was callously chased down and knifed to death by Balakrishnan and Suleiman. Between them, they stabbed him 15 times while he was defenceless on the floor. There is never an excuse to murder someone in cold blood, but this case is made even more tragic by the fact that Rishmeet was wrongly targeted by his attackers.”

Murder of 14-year-old

On May 9, at the Old Bailey, Marques Walker, 17, of Jennifer Road, Bromley, was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum of 19 years, for stabbing 14-year-old Jermaine Cools to death in Croydon. He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

In November 2021 Jermaine Cools, was with a group of youths who were fighting in a chicken shop doorway in Croydon. Walker was caught on CCTV calmly walking towards the fight and drawing out a large knife. Jermaine was on the floor and Walker ran towards him. Walker was seen to repeatedly lunge at Jermaine with the knife. The victim later died in hospital.

Images on hidden devices

A man who hid devices at his flat containing more than a thousand indecent images of children was jailed on May 4 for two years and eight months’ imprisonment .

Warren David Manners, 45, of Sowerby Close, Eltham, previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent Images of children, one count of possession of indecent images of children and three counts of breach of a sexual harm prevention order.

Manners was a registered sex offender, having previously been convicted of possessing indecent images of children.

On March 22, officers executed a search warrant at Manners' address. He initially denied owning any phones, tablets, or laptops, but officers found a total of 32 digital devices hidden throughout his flat. Officers also found hundreds of still photographs of children inside the flat.

Property fraud

Jaspal Singh Juttla, of Mallard Way, Northwood, fleeced four potential property buyers out of nearly £16,000.

The 64-year-old was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court to three years’ imprisonment on May 25 for four counts of fraud by false representation and one count of carrying on a regulated activity when not authorised to do so. He pleaded guilty in August.

Juttla claimed to be a mortgage adviser and offered to assist victims with property purchases, taking money for services never given. He would meet his clients – who were predominantly Indian and some spoke little to no English – at locations including Southall and Hayes. Some victims were targeted at open house viewings.

The Met’s Economic Crime team believes there are other victims that have been scammed by the ruse and are yet to come forward.

Children safeguarded as drug dealers jailed

Two children were safeguarded and the three London-based men, who exploited them to sell drugs in Hertfordshire were jailed.

Officers from Operation Orochi, the Met’s county lines drugs supply team, raided an address in Hatfield on January 18 and found two missing London boys, aged 14 and 15.

The investigation led to the arrest of twin brothers Omar and Malik Aziz, 24, of Eastwood Street, Streatham. A gun was found, belonging to Malik, and more than £2,000 in cash was seized. The driving licence of Samir Mustafa, 24, of Stone Street, Reading, was seized, along with a zombie knife.

On May 2, at Kingston Crown Court, Malik Aziz was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine/heroin and possession of a firearm. Omar Aziz was sentenced to three years and two months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin. Samir Mustafa was sentenced to two years and three months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine/heroin and driving whilst disqualified.

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