Category: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Detectives investigating the murder of Keelen Morris Wong in Brixton have charged a man.

An investigation was launched after police were called at 16:44hrs on Tuesday, 3 October to reports of a stabbing at Coldharbour Lane, Brixton.

Officers and London Ambulance Service attended. Despite their best efforts, Keelen Morris Wong, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin are aware and are being supported by specially trained officers.

Kyiza Sandiford, 23, (19.9.00) of Merton was arrested on 3 October. He will appear at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 7 October, charged with Keelen’s murder. He is also charged with possession of an offensive weapon.

A 15-year-old boy [B] was arrested on 5 October on suspicion of murder and possession of an offensive weapon. He has been bailed, pending further enquiries, to a date in early January.

Another 15-year-old boy [C] was arrested on 6 October on suspicion of murder. He remains in police custody.

Anyone who has information that may assist the investigation should call 101 or post via @MetCC ref CAD 5530/03OCT. To remain anonymous, please contact Crimestoppers.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Five men have been jailed after detectives carried out extensive CCTV work and phone analysis to track their movements before and after a brutal robbery which resulted in a man’s murder.

Dwain Morrison, 34 (09.10.88) of Chudleigh Road, RM3, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 6 October to a minimum of 33 years imprisonment for the murder of 30-year-old Imran Isat. He had been found guilty of the offence at an earlier hearing in July.

Four others were jailed for Imran’s manslaughter:

– Salah’din Kerbouba, 28 (27.12.94) of Sandringham Gardens, IG6 – sentenced to minimum of 16 years imprisonment
– Ronnie Haydon, 32 (06.01.91) of Grafton Crescent, NW1 – sentenced to minimum of 16 years imprisonment
– Paul Higgins, 36 (03.10.86) of Fanshawe Crescent, Hornchurch – sentenced to minimum of 16 years imprisonment
– Dominic Diop, 33 (17.03.90) of Cranfield Park Avenue, Basildon – sentenced to minimum of 16 years imprisonment.

Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke from the Met’s Specialist Crime, said: “This was a planned robbery by a gang who had pre-armed themselves with knives and machetes. Members of the gang were recorded scoping out the house prior to the assault and the cars they used were on false plates.

“The weapons they brought with them clearly show these men were ready to use violence, and murder was the result. This killing was pointless, it is probable that when the fatal stab wound was inflicted, Mr Isat was on the ground and not offering any resistance. It was a callous act of brutality that took his life. We may never know what the gang stole, but it was surely not worth killing a man while he was helpless on the ground.

“Despite their efforts to avoid detection, the extensive police inquiry was able to identify and arrest those responsible. These men were found guilty for their roles in the attack and will now spend years in prison having to face the consequences of their acts of violence.”

The court heard how on 19 March 2022, 30-year-old Imran Isat was in the living room of his home on Springfield Drive in Ilford watching television with a couple of friends.

What he did not know was that five men had decided to break in and rob him, and that his home was being watched.

At around 01:15hrs the five men began their assault. They broke through the front door, two then broke down the door of Mr Isat’s flatmate while the other three went upstairs to the living room.

On hearing the noise Mr Isat went to the living room door to try and keep the men out, but he couldn’t close it.

A struggle began at the door and one of the men, who was holding a large knife, managed to stab Mr Isat through the gap, forcing him backwards.

The robbers forced their way in armed with knives and machetes, they were shouting “where’s the stuff?”

Mr Isat said something like “don’t hurt me – take what you want”, but one of the robbers stabbed him, while another struck one of his friends on the head with the flat blade of a knife.

One of the robbers then shouted “we’ve found it”, and “let’s go”; they then ran from the scene.

CCTV later recorded Higgins leaving with a bag and a suitcase and then going back inside to get a second suitcase. Haydon also left carrying a bag. None of the defendants ever told police what was in the bags and police were never able to uncover what they stole.

When paramedics and police arrived they did all they could to save Mr Isat, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination later found that he had been stabbed five times and one of the wounds was fatal having gone into his chest and penetrated his heart.

Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime (homicide) began a murder investigation and it soon became apparent that the robbery had been planned.

CCTV and doorbell cameras showed some members of the gang arriving earlier and keeping the house under surveillance.

It is believed that the gang were after drugs, or money, or both, and they had armed themselves with knives and machetes in order to carry out the crime.

Members of the gang had arrived in two cars and both cars were later found to have been using false plates.

However, the gang were traced through extensive CCTV work and phone records that showed their movements.

The five men were all arrested on dates in July 2022 and all refused to answer police questions.

They were charged with robbery and murder and three – Diop, Higgins and Morrison – pleaded guilty to robbery but not guilty to murder.

Haydon admitted he was at the scene, but denied robbery as he stated he did not use or threaten violence.

Kerbouba was the only one who denied he was ever at the scene and he pleaded not guilty to murder and robbery.

However, after hearing all of the evidence, the jury found all five guilty of their role in the attack.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Detectives continue to investigate the murder of a 22-year-old man in Brixton.

A 23-year-old man who was arrested on Tuesday, 3 October on suspicion of murder and taken to hospital for treatment has now been discharged and remains in police custody.

A second arrest has also been made. A 15-year-old boy was arrested on Thursday, 5 October on suspicion of murder and possession of an offensive weapon – he remains in custody.

An investigation was launched after police were called at 16:44hrs on Tuesday, 3 October to reports of a stabbing at Coldharbour Lane, Brixton.

Officers and London Ambulance Service (LAS) attended. Despite their best efforts, Keelen Morris Wong, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin are aware and are being supported by specially trained officers.

Anyone who has information that can help police should call 101 or post via @MetCC ref CAD 5530/03OCT.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

A group of heroic officers who put their own safety at risk to help a seriously injured man have been recognised for their bravery alongside Met colleagues nominated for their outstanding fundraising efforts in the 2023 BBC local radio awards.

The group of four officers from the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Unit (Padp) were among the finalists in the inaugural bravery category at this year’s awards. In addition, the Met’s director of Commercial Services, Mark Roberts, and his team, were finalists in the fundraising category.

The Met nominees had beaten off stiff competition as BBC Radio London received the most nominations out of all the BBC local stations nationwide – around 1,000 for each of the eight categories.

The Met bravery finalists were PCs Dom Ooi and Steve Hudson, Sergeant Nicholas White and PC Anwar Kasasa, who all work as part of Padp teams. Sgt White and PC Kasasa were on duty in Westminster in July 2020 when they spotted a road collision nearby that involved two cars. It resulted in a pedestrian being hit with such force that he was propelled through metal railings surrounding a building into an open basement below.

The two officers raced down to the man, discovering he was unable to move and that his leg was very seriously injured. They were soon joined by their colleagues PCs Ooi and Hudson, who acted immediately to stem the bleeding with a tourniquet and give the victim oxygen.

Meanwhile Sergeant White dashed back up to the street to help colleagues quickly free the driver of the crashed vehicle, which was at risk of catching fire imminently.

The metal railings had been dislodged and hung perilously above the group to such a degree that when London Fire Brigade arrived, they advised the officers to come out of the basement for their own safety. However, because they were unable to move the victim until further medical assistance arrived, the Padp officers insisted on staying with the man despite the risk in order to provide comfort and ongoing medical support whilst awaiting an ambulance.

When paramedics arrived at the scene, PC Ooi carefully held the pedestrian’s leg in place to try and minimise further damage as he was carried up to street level to enable him to be airlifted to hospital.

PC Ooi said: “When you arrive at a scene to find someone in a very bad way, your human instinct and police training take over. You just want to do the best you can to help the person who’s in need. I’m glad that my colleagues and I were there to help that day. We were flattered to be nominated for a bravery award – it means a lot to us.”

The BBC Radio awards were launched two years ago following the pandemic as a way to publically recognise individuals and groups who go the extra mile to make a real difference to the lives of others, with every BBC local radio station taking part.

Nominations were assessed over a period of months by a panel of distinguished judges with London’s winners revealed at a ceremony at the Tate Modern art gallery on Wednesday 4 October. While neither of the Met nominees won their category, both said they felt honoured to have their work recgonised.

The Met’s other nominee Mark Roberts has led the Commercial Services (CS) department to deliver social value through a raft of commercial processes over the past three years – including via the innovative scheme recognised in the submission.

CS spends over £850m a year on contracts for a huge range of goods and services to buy in everything needed to keep the Met operational, from helicopters to horse-feed. Mark identified that his team could harness the high value of these major supplier contracts to contribute to supporting MPS initiatives around community engagement and tackling violence.

He then spearheaded a scheme that involves firms being asked to divert up to one percent of the value of their future contracts with the Met to third sector organisations supporting police initiatives around community engagement and tackling violence.

To date, over £850,000 has been committed, with the potential to exceed £1m if other activities are pursued. The first two organisations to benefit were Redthread and Groundwork, awarded nearly £100,000, while a third, Street Games, will soon receive around £75,000. The charity, which works to transform young lives through the power of sport, is planning to relaunch its London ‘Us Girls’ network next week as a direct result of the Met funding.

The programme will collaborate with Local Trusted Organizations (LTOs) to establish secure and enjoyable sports avenues for young women and girls, with the overarching goal of nurturing a sense of belonging and empowerment, as well as positive physical and mental health outcomes.

Redthread specialises in breaking cycles of violence and exploitation for young people, embedding specialist youth workers in hospital A&E departments, while Groundwork is a federation of charities mobilising practical community action on poverty and the environment. Groundwork helps people who are isolated or suffering health problems get active, whilst also encouraging re-connection with nature, understanding the importance of biodiversity and the benefits of fresh, local food.

Mark Roberts said: ‘I’m delighted that the Commercial Services team was recognised by BBC Radio London in their Make a Difference Awards. Our aspiration in launching this initiative was to play a small part in providing support to our communities that we hope would contribute to reducing crime across London.

“The efforts made in working with our suppliers to identify value from our contracts that could aid Londoners through the work of our beneficiary charities is proving truly transformative in supporting victims of violence and helping improve neighbourhoods.”

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

A second man has been charged with murder following a fatal stabbing in Wembley.

[C] Micah Hines, 20 (04.06.03) of Victoria Avenue, Brent was charged on Thursday, 5 October with the murder of 25-year-old Hamza Iqbal and possession of an offensive weapon.

He appeared at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 6 October and was remanded in custody to next appear at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 10 October.

An investigation was launched after police were called just after 23:00hrs on Sunday, 24 September to reports of a stabbing in Olympic Way, Wembley.

Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and found Hamza Iqbal suffering injuries – he was taken to hospital but died a short time later.

A post-mortem examination took place on Wednesday, 27 September and gave a preliminary cause of death as sharp force trauma to the chest.

[B] Joshua Oladele, 19 (12.04.04) of Wyld Way, Wembley has previously been charged with murder and possession of an offensive weapon.

Another man – [A] aged 19 – was arrested on suspicion of murder as part of this investigation and bailed pending further enquiries to a date in December.

A 19-year-old woman [D] and a 29-year-old woman [E], arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, have been bailed pending further enquiries to dates in December.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) today, Friday, 6 October, published their early findings following an inspection of the Met’s handling of child exploitation.

HMICFRS has identified two accelerated causes of concern which relate to how the Met responds to missing children reports and how the force investigates child sexual and criminal exploitation.

Commander Kevin Southworth, Lead for Public Protection at the Metropolitan Police, said: “Children are among the most vulnerable in our society and I am deeply concerned by the HMICFRS’ findings that show that too often we are letting them down.

“Our officers want to keep children and young people safe – but we recognise they have not had the right support to do this every time. Officers need the time and resource to listen to children and investigate the bigger picture around the circumstances they have come into contact with the police to then identify abuse and exploitation.

“We’re already radically transforming the Met. Our Children and Young People’s strategy will support officers to see children as children first and foremost and recognise their individual needs. We’re also providing more resource for our emergency response officers and investigative teams, as well as better training, and we’re determined to work more closely with expert partners.”

These early findings from HMICFRS reinforce the Met’s plans to make changes to help officers and staff provide a better service to London’s children. These plans are already under way and the organisation is building A New Met for London, where it reprioritises how officers and staff protect children from harm and serious violence.

Through A New Met for London, the Met will:

– Boost resource so there are more people dedicated to better protecting children and vulnerable people. 72 new officers and staff will be joining specialist child exploitation teams, with hundreds more set to join the Met’s public protection teams.

– Develop and deliver a new Children and Young People’s strategy which will reset how officers keep children and young people safe by seeing them as children first.

– Create a Central Vulnerability Hub which will change how the Met responds to vulnerability and harm, bringing together specialist officers and staff to locate and safeguard missing children and people.

– Continue to provide additional specialist child protection training for the teams involved in child exploitation investigations and give enhanced training to officers who deal with missing children.

– Launch Right Care Right Person to help free up more resource to better investigate missing children and suspected exploitation. This will ensure the right agencies deal with health-related calls, instead of the police being the default first responder.

– Bring expert partners together who have first-hand experience of working with children and young people to give them a range of support.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Detectives are keen to know the identity of a man they want to speak with in connection with a violent assault in Camden.

At around 02:10hrs on Thursday, 27 July, the 40-year-old victim, was at a bus stop on New Oxford Street, WC1 with a friend when he was assaulted by a man who struck him with a broken glass bottle.

He suffered a number of cuts to his head that, thankfully, were not life-threatening.

The man was not known to the victim and it appeared to be a motiveless attack.

Anyone who can name the man in the image should call police on 101 or post on ‘X’ @MetCC quoting reference CAD 498/27Jul.

To remain 100% anonymous call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment following a four year investigation by detectives into the murder of 27-year-old Shah Subhani. Detectives from the Specialist Crime Command carried out extensive enquiries including reviewing hours of CCTV footage culminating in the search of a wooded area which resulted in the recovery of Shah’s body.

Mohammed Shah Subhani, who was known as Shah, disappeared on 7 May 2019 in the Derby Road area of Hounslow and his remains were eventually found in a rural woodland near Beaconsfield on 19 December 2019.

On Thursday, 5 October, four people were jailed having previously been convicted at the Old Bailey:

– Amraj Poonia, 28 (08.09.95) of Farmfield Drive, Horley was sentenced to life imprisonment having been found guilty of murder. He will serve a minimum of 25 years.

He was also sentenced to seven-and-a-half years having pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. The sentences will run concurrently.

– Raneel Poonia, 26 (10.06.97) of Whitehouse Way, Slough was sentenced to seven years having been found guilty of perverting the course of justice. He was found not guilty of murder or manslaughter.

– Mohanad Riad, 23 (18.07.00) of Chrislea Close, Hounslow was sentenced to 14 months for perverting the course of justice. He will serve an additional 24 months for drugs and driving offences.

– Mahamud Ismail, 27 (16.09.96) of Albany Road, Brentford was found guilty of perverting the course of justice. He was sentenced to five-and-a-half years’ imprisonment. He was also jailed for nine months for possessing a mobile phone in prison. These sentences will run consecutively.

Detective Chief Inspector Vicky Tunstall said: “I am pleased that Shah’s murderer is facing a lengthy prison sentence, and that three other people have been jailed for their involvement.

“Our thoughts remain with Shah’s family, who earlier this year had to sit through a trial, listening to details about his death. No family should have to endure such things.

“This was a prolonged investigation involving not just officers from the Met but also the National Crime Agency and our partners in the CPS. Through working together over the past few years, we have secured a life sentence for Poonia, who has been shown to be incredibly dangerous.”

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Detectives are appealing for witnesses after a man died following a shooting in Wandsworth.

Police were called at about 21:50hrs on Thursday, 5 October to reports of gunshots heard on Shuttleworth Road, SW11.

Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended. At the scene they found a man, believed to be aged in his 20s, injured. They immediately provided emergency first aid, but despite their efforts the man sadly died at the scene.

His next of kin are aware and they will be supported by specialist officers.

Formal identification and a post-mortem examination will take place in due course.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil John from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command who leads the investigation said:

“This is a tragic incident where a young man has lost his life whilst standing on a street in Battersea. Our thoughts are with his family and friends as they continue to struggle with this terrible news.

“Detectives are working at pace to gather as much information as possible and I would ask anyone who was in the area and saw events unfold, or anyone who has captured this on phone or doorbell footage, to contact police immediately.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland, from the South West BCU which covers Wandsworth, said:

“This murder will come as a terrible shock to the local community who will be waking up to this news.

“I want to reassure them that experienced homicide detectives from the Specialist Crime Command will be working tirelessly to find out who is responsible, and we will offer them all the support we can.

“There will be an enhanced police presence in the area over the coming days, and I would ask that the local community in Battersea speak with officers. Please tell us if you saw or heard anything, or wish to raise any concerns. I would also like to thank local residents for their co-operation whilst the crime scene is in place.”

At this early stage there have been no arrests and enquiries continue.

Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101 quoting reference CAD 8285/05Oct. To remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Detectives investigating a fatal stabbing in Sutton have charged a teenager with murder.

On Thursday, 5 October, the 17-year-old male [B] was charged with the murder of Luke Blackmore.

He will appear in custody at Croydon Magistrates’ Youth Court on Friday, 6 October.

An investigation was launched after officers were called at approximately 21:00hrs on Monday, 2 October to reports that 42-year-old Luke Blackmore had been found suffering stab injuries outside an address on Typhoon Way.

Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and he was treated at the scene. Sadly, despite the best efforts of medical professionals, he died as a result of his injuries.

His family continues to be supported by specialist officers.

A 44-year-old woman [A] was arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill and has been bailed pending further enquiries.

Anyone with information, video or images that could help police should call 101 or post @MetCC via X reference CAD 7417/02Oct.

To remain 100% anonymous contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.