Metropolitan Police of Ta-Jaun Subaran issued an undated handout photo
Three gang members were sentenced today for the murder of Marks and Spencer shop assistant. They used a minicab to ‘ride out,’ as he was from another region.
Anthony Adekola (22, nicknamed Lizzy) was stabbed to his death on September 5, 2013. He was walking home from work at Colindale in north-west London.
The attackers were wearing black bandanas and facemasks. They chased Mr Adekola. He tried to sprint away but tripped over a bollard, allowing his assailants to gain ground.
The M&S shop assistant was stabbed at least nine times to his head, neck, back and chest and was dead when paramedics arrived, the Old Bailey heard. Jurors were told by the Old Bailey that the murder was linked to a gang feud in which the victim had no part.
Ta-Jaun Subaran (20 years old) and two 17-year-old boys (whose identities cannot be revealed for legal reasons) were part of the gang that stabbed Mr Adekola to his death.
Subaran was convicted of Subaran’s death along with the two teenagers. Subaran was sentenced by Judge Simon Mayo, QC to life imprisonment with a minimum term for 22 years. Subaran’s co-defendants were also held for at least 18 and 17 years, respectively, and for six months.
The judge described the murder as ‘as brutally callous and random and pointless as it was random, and pointless’. He had previously praised Mr Adekola’s family for their ‘quiet dignity’ as they sat in the courtroom during the trial.
He stated, “I understand that hearing about Anthony’s death must be deeply upsetting, and I imagine that must have opened up those wounds,”
Foluke Adekola, the victim’s mother, stated that her heart was broken by the’senseless killing’ over a postcode that doesn’t belong to anyone in a statement she read to the court.
Anthony Adekola, 22, also known as Lizzy, was stabbed in the neck as he walked home from work at Colindale store in north London on the evening September 5th last year.
The M&S shop assistant was stabbed at least nine times to his head, neck, back and chest and was dead when paramedics arrived, the Old Bailey heard
She spoke out against such violence, stating that it was a waste of time and incompatible with society’s values.
Her son was a “honest and hard-working boy” whose chance of becoming manhood was taken away.
She said, “The Anthony we knew wasn’t involved in any trouble, so why did trouble come for them?”
Sentencing, the judge told the defendants: ‘On the evening of September 5 2020 you set out together with five others from the Hendon area of north London in two mini cabs.
“Your motive for setting out on that evening was to commit a murder that was as brutally callous and random as it was purposeful.”
The judge stated that the goal of scoring a point against a rival group was ‘perversely and abhorrent’. After Mr Adekola saw that the defendants were armed with knives he paused and ran away.
Judge Mayo stated that he chased after him. This was a cowardly act. It is obvious that you caught up to Mr Adekola, and attacked him with knives. During that attack, he was stabbed at minimum nine times to his head and face, as well as his chest, neck, back, and upper and lower limbs.
The fatal stab wound to his neck caused severe injury to the carotid and jugular veins. The attackers fled to the waiting taxis.
Foluke Adekola, the victim’s mother, stated that her daughter had been hurt by the’senseless killing’ over a postcode that doesn’t belong to anyone in a statement she read to the court
Jurors were also told that police later discovered drill lyrics on an electronic device confiscated after arresting one youth.
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones suggested that the 9 could refer to NW9, which is the postcode that Mr Adekola lived under.
He told OId Bailey that such lyrics often include boastful or bragging claims that may or not reflect the reality of the person who wrote or delivered them.
“But, equally, you may be able to accept the fact that the lyrics reveal the writer’s true feelings and ambitions.
‘He had written: ‘I wanna go to the 9 and set it / Catch me an opp n f*cking kweff it / Dey took my bro so I’m garn get dem back’.
“That lyric expresses his desire to catch a rival teammate because they have done something to him and he wants revenge.
“Kweff” can be understood to mean: to attack, assault, or stagger.
His brother and concerned friends found Mr Adekola badly injured and bleeding and retraced his steps.
Police arrived at 11.15pm to find the victim surrounded by people who were applying pressure to his neck.
Medics performed emergency surgery on the scene, but despite their efforts, he died at 11.45pm.
The judge stated that Mr Adekola was a “very fine man” in his prime and that his untimely death had a profound effect on his family members and friends.