Ten guilty in murder case

by Roxanne Blakelock

Ten youths have been found guilty at the Old Bailey in connection with the murder of a 22-year-old Somalian pharmacy student.

A 15-year-old male youth from Willesden was acquitted but was charged with conspiracy to commit GBH, against Yasin Abdirahman, who was murdered in Southall on September 3 2007.

Lamar Shebaz McGregor, 15, of Woodford Court, Shepherd's Bush Green, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit GBH and sentenced to a three year supervision.

The youths were sentenced to a total of 61 years over two days at the Old Bailey.

Det Sgt Andy Partridge, from the Met's Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said:

"This was a senseless act of gratuitous violence. Yasin and his friend had done nothing to provoke the defendants, giving them no reason to attack in this shocking manner.

"We believe that the group went onto the estate in Southall intent on finding someone from a rival gang. Yasin was walking through the estate at the time, but had no affiliation to any gangs. He was jumped on by the group intent on serious injury."

Mr Abdirahman was surrounded by a large group of teenagers armed with weapons including long sticks and knives.

He was stabbed several times including two stab wounds to the head, one of which penetrated his brain.

He died eight days later in hospital, on September 11 2007.

He was born in Somalia in May 1985 but fled from civil war there aged just five and had been in the UK since 1990.

He was granted asylum and became a British Citizen in 2002.

He had no previous convictions, had never come to the attention of the police and had no connection whatsoever with any street gang.

At the time of his death he was studying at London Metropolitan University and had a part time job as a telephone engineer.

roxanne.blakelock@archant.co.uk