Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

A rapist has been jailed for eight years after detectives traced him from DNA he left on a teddy bear.

The victim, in her 50s, used the soft toy to push Bardhyl Mustafaj, 64 (01.01.1962), away from her during the attack and it provided crucial evidence in bringing him to justice.

Mustafaj, who was known to the victim, had visited her home in Hampstead Heath, to fix a lightbulb. He was jailed on 19 January for four counts of rape that took place in May 2019.

Detective Constable Sam Orchard, who led the investigation from the Complex Investigation Team, said: “I would firstly like to commend the victim for her bravery in reporting this crime so quickly; she went through the most horrendous ordeal.

“This allowed officers to promptly get to work, forensically analysing the crime scene, gathering a range of DNA evidence, interviewing potential witnesses and locating the suspect.

“Their relentless attention to detail meant that no stone was left unturned. A key piece of evidence was the presence of Mustafaj’s DNA on the teddy bear which the victim used to push him off when he tried to kiss her.

“Mustafaj is now behind bars for a considerable time and will not be able to prey on other vulnerable women.

“We would encourage any victims of sexual assault to come forward to the police. You will be listened to and we will work hard to support you while we investigate what has happened.”

Mustafaj, of Coupland Place, Greenwich, pleaded not guilty but was convicted by a jury on 1 December at Wood Green Crown Court. He had been arrested on 6 May 2019 and charged on 29 June 2022.

The Met is committed to tackling violence against women and girls. Read our action plan here.

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

A man has been convicted of murder after Met detectives used CCTV and phone data to prove his guilt.

Following a nine- week trial at the Old Bailey, which started on 17 October 2023, Courtney Ellis, 38 (19.02.85) of Mafeking Avenue, Brentford, was found guilty of the murder of Michael Small, known as Craig, in an apparent escalation of gang tensions.

He was also found guilty of attempted murder of a different man and perverting the course of justice.

Christopher Kyei, 36 (11.11.86) of Lower Road, Chorleywood, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice at the same trial. Both will be sentenced at the same court on 2 February.

At around 20:10hrs on Friday 5 July 2019, Craig went to a chicken shop on Harrow Road, Wembley. While he stood outside waiting for his meal, a masked man ran along the pavement towards him. The man was less than a metre from Craig when he fired the fatal bullet. A second bullet was fired as Craig collapsed to the floor, narrowly missing him.

Craig was pronounced dead in hospital at 21:00hrs. He was 32 years old.

Detective Superintendent Helen Rance, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command who led the investigation said: “Craig’s murder was the tragic culmination of a series of reprisal attacks linked to gang activity.

“Craig was targeted, his murder planned and brutally carried out in the streets of Wembley. Craig’s death is thoroughly senseless and serves as a tragic reminder of the utter futility of gang violence – it achieves nothing other than devastating families and unleashing more violence on London’s streets.”

After the shooting, eye witness accounts given to police reported seeing the gunman run around the corner and get into a waiting car. Detectives later learned it was Courtney Ellis waiting in the driver’s seat of a blue Mini using false registration plates.

Immediately after killing Craig, Ellis and the gunman drove to Bridge Road in Wembley. At the location, the gunman attempted to fire at the windscreen of a parked white Mercedes toward the intended victim. CCTV recovered by detectives showed that the gun failed to fire.

Detectives spent hours analysing CCTV footage to track the journey of a Mini eyewitnesses had reported seeing the gunman get into after shooting Craig. It was subsequently tracked it to key locations. The sun visors of both driver and passenger were lowered in an attempt to hide their identities.

Detectives identified a number of unregistered phones used by Ellis and Kyei in the lead up to Craig’s murder.

Police examined the phones and laptops recovered from their home addresses which were used to establish a longstanding relationship between Ellis and Kyei. Photos, voice notes and WhatsApp messages confirmed the link between the men as well as references to previous episodes of violence.

When questioned by detectives, Ellis and Kyei denied any involvement in the murder.

Craig’s mother, Carol Campbell said: “Not a minute goes by where Craig is still not at the forefront of our minds. His murder has totally destroyed what’s left of us as a family. Craig was a father of three young children and his loss to us all is immeasurable. A caring and kind man taken from us all with no justification. That fact is a burden we will have to carry until the day we die.

“We will never truly move on from what happened to Craig but would like to take a moment to thank the investigation team who have worked tirelessly to secure justice for Craig. I’d particularly like to mention Detective Superintendent Helen Rance and Detective Sergeant Terry Goodsman who both went above and beyond in this investigation for us, as well as Detective Constable Chris Lipson, our original Family Liaison officer. The three of them showed me that not all police officers are the same.”

Det Supt Rance continued: “It has been a long road to get to today’s verdict. Craig’s family have had to endure two trials and I can underestimate the immense difficulty they have been through over the past four years. They remained dignified but are utterly broken and devastated by his death.

“Over the course of this investigation, mobile phone data was key to establishing the movement of these two men both on the day Craig was murdered and their actions over the following days. There was significant planning that went into this attack, which officers were able to unpick with careful viewing of CCTV and connecting this to mobile data to prove to the jury these men were responsible for the planning, carrying out and careful disposal of the vehicle used in Craig’s shooting.”

“One key thing that we have not been able to overcome is the wall of silence about the identity of the gunman. Given the level of planning that went into Craig’s murder, the gunman’s identity will be known to others however so far there has been steadfast refusal to share this with police. If you have any information to identify him, please speak to police, or anonymously via to Crimestoppers to help us find the person responsible for firing the bullet that killed Craig.”

If you have any information that could help police please call 101 and give CAD 9128/5 July 2019 or Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Following the conclusion of the inquest into the death of Andrzej Kusper, Commander Paul Trevers said: “I was hugely saddened to hear of Mr Kusper’s death. It is a tragedy and I cannot imagine the impact his loss has had on his friends and family. I hope the inquest has provided them with some answers.

“Now that the inquest has concluded, we will be writing to them to express our sincere condolences.

“As the Coroner heard, we routinely train officers in how to keep people safe when they are arrested, in line with national guidance. However, we will carefully study the jury’s findings in relation to the search, and any recommendations from the Coroner to consider what else we need to do.”

After Mr Kusper’s death, we quickly referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. They decided that the actions of the officer who searched Mr Kusper inside the custody van was not classed as gross misconduct and recommended he face a misconduct meeting for breaching the police standards of professional behaviour of duties and responsibilities. The meeting chair found misconduct not proven, and determined that the officer should undergo reflective practice, which means they underwent learning and training.

The two Directorate of Professional Standards officers were also given reflective practice about exhibit handling.

The IOPC did not find any organisational learning about how the Met searches or transports prisoners, but they did identify some organisational learning around exhibits and training, and we have improved our practice in both of these areas as a result of these recommendations.

We know it is important to get searches and transport right and, while we have made improvements, we know we can do better and will continue to work on this area for the safety of everyone.