As 2024 comes to an end we looked back at those jailed for murder this year, drawing into sharp focus the scale of violence the capital suffers from.
This list includes a man who murdered his wife on New Year’s Day after plotting it for months, a gang who executed a man on a quiet street in Erith, and a man who wiped out an entire generation of his girlfriend’s family in a ritualistic sacrifice.
These are their names, faces and stories.
He killed his children’s mum
Tony Curant (Image: Met Police) Tony Curant stabbed the mother of his children to death as their terrified kids hid in the room next door.
Leila Young had been planning on leaving abusive Tony Curant before he murdered her at their home on Penhill Road.
In texts Leila described Curant as “the biggest bully she had ever met” and said their relationship was over.
Described as a fun and loving mummy who was the life and soul of her family, Leila suffered 57 stab injuries including 18 to her head, face and neck.
Leila’s mum said: “My beautiful daughter Leila was brutally taken from us all by the father of her children and the man she trusted. The man she tried to hard to help.
“Leila was not just my daughter. She was my best friend who I spoke to every day and laughed like I did with no other.”
She said: “I cannot think of the words I would want to say to Tony Curant. I am so full of anger I cannot describe. I want to know why you did this to my beautiful daughter.
“None of this makes any sense to me. I feel I am still living a nightmare but one I can never wake up from.”
Curant was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years.
He planned his wife’s murder for months
Shane Simmonds (Image: Met Police) Shane Simmonds murdered his wife Tia to death at their home in Forest Hill on New Year’s Day.
They had enjoyed a “normal family Christmas” together but Simmonds’ internet history revealed that he had been planning his wife’s murder for months.
On January 1 he stabbed her in the neck, hid her body in the attic then turned himself in to police two days later.
Tia’s dad stared at the killer as he described how Tia’s murder had broken his heart.
He said: “My daughter Tia was an incredible woman. She made me proud every day with all she accomplished.
“She was a strong determined woman, a business owner, but best of all mother to my beautiful grandchildren who have been left without a mother.”
Tia, aged 32, ran a childminding business and was described as having a heart of gold.
Her dad said: “There’s no forgiveness in me for the coward before me, or for anyone who would support such a monster.
“I wish I could be there when the devil collects your soul which you have sold.
“Tia will be remembered as the person she is, and you will be remembered as nothing.”
He murdered, was arrested and released, then murdered again
Carl Cooper (Image: Met Police) Lewisham handyman Carl Cooper murdered two vulnerable women he had been in relationships with.
Cooper stabbed 41-year-old Naomi Hunte to death at her Woolwich flat in February 2022, after she had made four complaints to police that he had been harassing her.
He was arrested on suspicion of murder but was released under investigation and went on to murder 48-year-old Fiona Holm who went missing from Hither Green 16 months later.
Fiona’s family remain “tortured” by the fact her body has never been found – a £20,000 reward has been offered for information which leads to her remains being located.
During the trial Cooper denied killing either woman and even suggested that Fiona might have been kidnapped by Hamas.
Cooper, 66, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 35 years – meaning he’ll likely die behind bars.
Read the full story – ‘Evil’ Lewisham handyman who murdered two women ‘likely to die behind bars’
They accidentally killed their friend whilst murdering another boy
Top: Alagie Jobe, Hussain Bah. Bottom: Sammie Shallangwa and Jake Debonsu. (Image: Met Police) Alagie Jobe, Hussain Bah, Sammie Shallangwa and Jake Debonsu accidentally killed their friend as they murdered another boy in Abbey Wood.
Five teens “armed to the teeth” with knives and machetes drove from Thamesmead to Abbey Wood with the intention of killing a local boy.
They set upon 16-year-old Charlie Bartolo and stabbed him to death.
Hussain Bah was driving a Nissan Qashqai which rammed Charlie off his motorbike on Sewell Road.
Alagie Jobe, Kearne Solanke and Sammie Shallangwa jumped out of the car and stabbed Charlie to death as he laid defenceless on the floor.
But in a moment of “murderous stupidity” one of the killers accidentally knifed “one of their own team”, Kearne Solanke, meaning two 16-year-old lives were lost that night.
“There’s no reason to think he meant to stab Kearne, but in the confusion and the chaos of the moment – no doubt I’m afraid, in the excitement – his knife found the wrong target,” the jury were told in the trial.
Kearne was driven to Titmuss Avenue in Thamesmead where he was abandoned to die on the pavement.
Read the full stories:
They ‘executed’ a man in the street
Top row: Wallder and Spahiu. Bottom row: Osibodu and Reeve. (Image: Met Police) Enriko Spahiu, Bradlee Reeve, Anthony Wallder and Kai Osibodu murdered 24-year-old Kai McGinley in the street in Erith.
Kai was blasted to death with a shotgun in “a planned and targeted execution” on Pembroke Road.
During the trial prosecutor Brian O’Neill KC told the jury Kai was with his friends, Bill and Norman in a stolen Mini Countryman on February 9 last year.
At around 8.45pm they were travelling along Pembroke Road, when a Land Rover Freelander drove at them in the opposite direction with its lights off.
Close behind the Land Rover was a grey Peugeot 307.
Mr O’Neill said: “As it got closer, it became clear to the occupants of the Mini that the Land Rover was driving towards it, head-on, with its lights off.
“In an attempt to let the oncoming Land Rover pass, Kai began to move the Mini to the left hand-side of the road but it was struck, deliberately, at speed and with force, by the Land Rover.”
The Mini span to the right before coming to a stop.
“Some or all of the occupants of the Peugeot and the Land Rover got out of their vehicles, approached the Mini and opened fire,” Mr O’Neill said.
“Four or five shots were fired from two shotguns at close range one of which fatally wounded Kai McGinley. They then fled the scene. The Land Rover broke down further down the road.”
All four were also found guilty of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to Kai’s friends who were also in the car – Bill Burton and Norman Samura.
Three other men were cleared of Kai’s murder but found guilty of his manslaughter.
Read the full story – Seven who slaughtered Kai McGinley on Erith street pictured for first time
They killed a boy in a park
Top row: Jamie Marshall, Jason Smith, Sorraviho Smith Bottom: Divon Henry-Campbell, Ryan Brown, Nyron John-Baptiste (Image: Met Police) Six youths lured a 17-year-old boy to a park in Penge then stabbed him to death.
Michael Jonas was murdered in Betts Park in 2017 – after a six year wait for justice his killers were finally jailed this year.
He had been approached by five of the group as he walked down Anerley Road, before all walking into the park together.
Just three minutes later, all of the defendants were seen fleeing the park on bicycles.
The fatal attack had taken no more than 120 seconds.
Police say none of the group ever admitted responsibility or provided any reason for their actions, however the court heard that they had believed Michael was a ‘snitch’.
• Nyron Jean Baptiste, 22, of Queen Adelaide Road, Penge – life with a minimum of 31 years
• Divon Henry-Campbell, 23, of Fayland Avenue, Streatham – life with a minimum of 18 years
• Jason Smith, 20, of Bow Avenue Lane, Dartford – life with a minimum of 12.5 years
• Jamie Marshall, 22, of Burham Close, Penge – life with a minimum of 13 years
• Ryan Girense Brown, 21, of Sydenham Road, Croydon – life with a minimum of 12 years
• Sarraviho Smith, 23, of Grove Hill Road, Camberwell – life with a minimum of 17 years
Read the full story – Six men jailed after luring boy, 17, to Penge park then stabbing him to death
He killed two boys in one year
Nyron Jean Baptiste (Image: Met Police) Nyron Jean Baptiste, mentioned above as one of the men who murdered Michael Jonas, was still at large when he murdered another boy a year later.
Exactly a year after Michael’s murder, Baptiste was still at large when he killed 15-year-old Jay Hughes with a machete outside a chicken shop in Bellingham and yelled “I got one”.
The Judge stated that she was in no doubt that the “brazen, quick and ruthless attack” was planned and that Nyron had intended to kill the victim.
The court heard how Jay was speaking with a young man he knew when a black Ford Galaxy pulled up to the junction of Brookhowse Road with Randlesdown Road.
Three men, armed with large machete type knives, got out of the car and ran towards Jay and his acquaintance.
However Jay did not run and CCTV showed him innocently waiting outside the shop.
It was at this point that the defendant approached Jay and proceeded to stab him once in the left hand side of his upper body.
A witness later told police they heard the person who stabbed Jay say, “I got one” and that Jay did not say or do anything to provoke the attack.
After stabbing Jay, the boys ran back towards their getaway vehicle.
Read the full story – Penge rapper slaughtered boy in park then murdered another boy a year later
He killed a 16-year-old boy
Joseph Barnes (Image: Met Police) Joseph Barnes murdered 16-year-old Tafari Thompson-Mintah by knocking him off his moped in Orpington.
Barnes was driving a car with Aaron Conway in the passenger seat at the time of the crash.
Their motive was that Tafari had been in a relationship with Conway’s daughter which had broken down, leading to a series of disputes.
Spotting Tafari, they chased him at high speed before swerving towards him and deliberately knocking him off his scooter, police said.
Barnes was convicted of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 25 years.
Conway was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Read the full story – Dad deliberately killed daughter’s ex, 16, in Orpington moped crash
He dismembered a man and dumped his body in the park
Dajour Jones (Image: Met Police) Dajour Jones murdered Jamie Gilbey and dumped his dismembered body parts in bin bags in South Norwood Lake and Grounds.
He was last seen alive going into Jones’s room at a hostel where they both lived in Upper Norwood.
Jones claimed he hit the victim with a broom in self-defence after Mr Gilbey confronted him with a knife and stole his phone.
The jury were told: “The defendant inflicted the severe head injuries when Jamie was alive; he inflicted stab wounds when he was alive, but not wearing his clothing, and he inflicted stab wounds when Jamie was dead and not wearing his clothing.”
The day after the killing, Jones acquired a large purple suitcase that he took back to his room.
Jones kept the body parts in a crate and disposed of them in two trips to Cantley Gardens, in South Norwood Lake and Grounds, using the suitcase. He took the head, torso and arms in one trip, and the legs in the other, jurors heard.
In a third trip, Jones deposited the suitcase containing clothing and bedding which was heavily blood-stained at Love Lane Green in South Norwood.
Jones was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years.
He lured his childhood friend to his death
Ismaiel Kallon (Image: Met Police) Ismaiel Kallon lured his childhood friend Julian Ebanks to his death in New Cross.
Julian, 21, was stabbed to death in Kender Street on August 4 last year by a man who has now fled the country.
A court heard Kallon had lured Julian to New Cross knowing he’d be stabbed.
The fatal attack was set in motion by the stabbing of one of their mutual friends in Surrey Quays months earlier – Julian was suspected by Kallon and others of being involved in that stabbing.
Julian had not lived in London for a number of years due to concerns for his safety, but frequently returned to see family.
Prior to his death Julian confided in Kallon, who he regarded as a close friend, that he was returning to London that weekend to celebrate his brother’s birthday.
But Kallon betrayed this trust by relaying that information to those who wished to exact “revenge” against Julian, a court heard.
Kallon persuaded him to meet him in Kender Street but when Julian arrived he was ambushed by another man who stabbed him three times. Julian died in the street.
Kallon was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years.
Read the full story – ‘Caring’ man’s childhood friend lured him to fatal ambush in New Cross street
He murdered a man in his car
Ahmed Gonladieu (Image: Met Police) Ahmed Gonladieu stabbed Alexandros Josephs through the window of a car in Ladywell.
Police identified Gonladieu on CCTV arriving at the scene on a bicycle and then fleeing on foot.
Alexandros’s mother Lana said: “This conviction will never diminish the pain my family and I have endured over the past year, but the lengthy sentence will prevent other families being destroyed by this callous monster who has shown no remorse for what he has done.
“The brutal killing of my only son has left a hole in our lives. We thank the police and prosecutors for their support throughout, but we can only hope we can now rebuild our lives to remember Alexandros in happier times. Knife crime destroys lives and families, it needs to stop.”
Read the full story – Ladywell mum pleas ‘knife crime needs to stop’ after son was killed
He beat a man to death over £30
Dedan Simmons (Image: Met Police) Dedan Simmons murdered grandad Shaun McEvoy over a £30 drug debt.
Shaun, 56, was described as having a heart of gold but had been battling a drug addiction for years.
He was at his flat in Kennington when drug dealer Dedan Simmons stormed in shouting “where’s my f***ing money”.
Simmons attacked Shaun and repeatedly stamped on his chest, inflicting internal injuries which caused him to collapse and die later that day.
Shaun’s daughter, Carla, said: “I understand drug use. I understand his killer is a drug dealer and he has to make money for his product. I understand he needs to get paid and probably has his own bosses that he needs to pay.
“But I cannot understand why he did this. It was a brutal act of violence for just £30. My father was not a strong man, he was not a fighting man. This did not need to happen.
“My father has been taken away from me twice, first by drugs sold by this man, and now by his senseless murder.”
Simmons was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years.
These brothers killed over a mobile phone
Brothers Nyran Thomas (left) and Nah’shun Thomas (right) (Image: Met Police) Brothers Nah’shun and Nyran Thomas murdered a man in Peckham Rye over a mobile phone.
They were cycling around Peckham Rye when they approached 29-year-old Kalabe Legesse, who was sitting on a park bench, and threatened him for his mobile phone before stabbing him in the heart.
Kalabe’s family said: “Nothing can bring back our son Kalabe. He was doing nothing wrong on the night that he was killed and we will never understand why he was murdered over a mobile phone.
“The defendants have not shown any remorse for what they did to him. We have recently passed the anniversary of his death; Christmas and New Year for us will never be the same again.
“Kalabe was loved by everyone he met and had an exciting future ahead of him. He will never be able to have a family of his own, and our family will never have him back.”
The brothers were jailed for life with minimum terms of 25 and 19 years respectively.
Read the full story – Brothers stabbed man to death in south east London park over a mobile phone
They killed a man in a street fight
Shane Canavan and Joshua Langley (Image: Met Police) Shane Canavan and Joshua Langley murdered a man and seriously injured his brother during a group fight in New Addington.
Bradley and Calum Hutchins, aged 20 and 19, were taken to hospital after they were stabbed multiple times in the attack.
Bradley’s injuries were so severe that he died shortly after.
Detectives found a crowbar, monkey wrench, knife and balaclava left behind by those involved.
It was established that the fight took place because of another brawl the week before, where Canavan had come off second best.
Canavan was sentenced to life with a minimum of 23 years, and Langley was sentenced to a minimum of 21 years.
Read the full story – Two jailed after murdering man and injuring brother in Croydon double stabbing
He murdered his dementia-stricken mum
Steffon Hewitt (Image: Met Police) Steffon Hewitt murdered his dementia-stricken mum in vicious attack.
Vanita Nowell, 68, was found dead on the bathroom floor at her son’s home in Peckham.
She had suffered 28 rib fractures, six fractures to her spine, extensive bruising across her body and a traumatic brain injury.
Hewitt claimed her injuries had come from his mum’s constant falling due to dementia.
She had moved to the UK from Barbados the previous year to come and live with her son.
On March 8, 2020, he phoned emergency services and told the call operator he had found her unresponsive.
He claimed he had attempted CPR on his mother and that he ‘may have broken a few ribs’.
Later medical enquiries showed that the extent of the fractures could not have been caused from him performing this procedure.
He massacred four as a ‘sacrifice’
Joshua Jacques (Image: Met Police) Joshua Jacques murdered his girlfriend and three of her family members as a “sacrifice”.
Jacques, from Lewisham, was fuelled by drugs and alcohol when he attacked Samantha Drummonds and her family with a knife in their home in Delaford Road, Bermondsey.
Police found the bodies of Ms Drummonds, 27, her mother Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and Ms Hill’s partner, Denton Burke, 58, after being alerted to a disturbance by a neighbour.
Officers found Mr Burke’s body at the foot of the stairs and the three women “heaped together” in the kitchen.
Armed officers discovered Jacques naked and lying in the upstairs bathroom in a praying position, screaming “Allah, take me!”, “Kill me now”, “Get rid of me”, and “God please forgive me”.
Later, at Lewisham Hospital, Jacques said: “I ain’t even in the wrong, I did them for sacrifice”, and also warned: “I will do something stupid again.”
He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 46 years.
He stabbed her new boyfriend to death
Oscar Castano-Colque (Image: Met Police) East Dulwich man Oscar Castano-Colque stabbed his ex-girlfriend’s new partner to death on a bus.
He repeatedly stabbed Rafioullah Malik on-board a bus in Oxford Circus.
In the days before the murder Castano-Colque had bombarded his ex-girlfriend with messages declaring his love for her and telling her their relationship wasn’t over.
Rafioullah was taken to hospital where he later died almost a month later on March 23.
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley who led the investigation said: “Castano-Colque could not accept his relationship was over and his former girlfriend had moved on.”
Castano-Colque was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years and six months.
Read the full story – Jealous south east London man stabbed ex’s new boyfriend to death on bus
He was called the ‘Brixton slasher’
Mohamed Nur (Image: Met Police) Mohamed Nur murdered a random woman and seriously injured a number of complete strangers in a series of slasher attacks in Brixton.
Nur was armed with a makeshift blade when he cut the throat of Johanita Kossiwa Dogbey in broad daylight.
Ms Dogbey, 31, had been walking alone in Stockwell Park Walk in Brixton after going into central London to do some shopping.
She was attacked from behind by a man wearing all dark clothing, and died at the scene.
Nur had attacked three other people in the two days before Ms Dogbey’s murder.
The first victim, Rebecca Wilkes, was approached from behind, grabbed and slashed on her right cheek, causing a 9cm cut.
The second victim, Tomasz Kmiecik, suffered a 15cm facial cut and the third victim, Katie Matthews, sustained a 6cm wound to her face.
Nur was jailed for life for murder.
Read the full story – Brixton slash murderer also attacked three others
His victim died six years after the attack
Tyrese Osei-Kofi (Image: Met Police) Tyrese Osei-Kofi, 25, of Lordship Lane in East Dulwich, was jailed for murder after a teenager he attacked in Clapham died from his injuries six years later.
Osei-Kofi stabbed Jamel Boyce in the chest and leg in Clapham in October 2016.
Jamel was treated at the scene by the London Ambulance Service, but he went into cardiac arrest due to the injury to his heart before arriving in hospital, depriving his brain of oxygen for a critical 14 minutes.
Doctors concluded he had been left in a “vegetative state” and he was transferred to a specialist long-term care facility where he required round-the-clock nursing care.
In 2017 a jury convicted him of GBH but found him not guilty of attempted murder.
But after Jamel died in 2022, aged 22, Osei-Kofi was charged with murder and was found guilty.
He has now been jailed for life with a minimum term of seven years and ten months.
Read the full story – Man jailed for murder after teen he attacked in Clapham dies six years later
He stabbed his partner 17 times
Leon Murray (Image: Met Police) Leon Murray stabbed his partner 17 times after she said she wanted to end their relationship.
Murray murdered Keisha Christodoulou just a day after she said their relationship was over.
Murray travelled to their flat in Tanner’s Hill, Deptford, where he stabbed Ms Christodoulou 17 times.
He then changed his clothes and went to pick up their six-year-old daughter from school.
On arrival, he told a staff member that “it is done” and that he had “ended” Keisha. School staff called 999, as did Murray.
Read the full story – Man who stabbed partner 17 times after break-up found guilty of murder
They ambushed a man
Sebastian Niven and Sean Deery (Image: Met Police) Sean Deery and Sebastian Niven murdered a man by ambushing and stabbing him in Kingston.
Farhad Khalili was stabbed as he walked along Surbiton Crescent.
He managed to stagger to a nearby road where he collapsed and died.
Detective Inspector Jim Barry, from the Specialist Crime Command, said: “While Farhad and his assailants were known to each other it has never been established why they attacked him in such a violent manner.
“What is clear is that when Deery and Niven launched their attack, they did so with a ferocity and intent to cause Farhad significant harm.”
Deery and Niven were jailed for life with minimum terms of 25 years and 14 years respectively.
Read the full story – Men jailed for murder after ‘ambushing and stabbing’ man in Kingston
He murdered for revenge
Kyiza Sandiford (Image: Met Police) Kyiza Sandiford murdered a man in broad daylight in Brixton in an alleged revenge attack.
A court heard Kyiza Sandiford carried out the attack in response to another murder.
Keelen’s father Jemaine Wong said: “I’m grateful for the sentence that has been served. All who knew and loved Keelen are planning to have his memory last long beyond Sandiford’s time.
“However, there are no joy or winners in this scenario, only levels of loss. Community violence is a sad reality that I will have to navigate with the grace of God moving forward.
“No amount of time will account for the life of my son Keelen Wong, but my hope is that the sentence will allow the defendant time to appreciate the value of life.”
Sandiford was jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years.
Read the full story – ‘There are no winners’ says dad of man killed in south London ‘revenge attack’
He murdered a man who was in bed with his friend’s ex
Jason Curtis (Image: Sussex Police) Dulwich man Jason Curtis murdered a man who was in bed with his friend’s ex.
Curtis and Kaydon Prior were on a night out in Chelsea to celebrate Curtis’ 22nd birthday.
But at around 1.30am they made their way to Crawley after they found out Prior’s ex-girlfriend was out with another man, Harrison Tomkins.
The pair were seen outside a cocktail bar at 3am looking for her, before getting a taxi to her flat on Arthur Road.
They gained entry to the communal area and heard her and Harrison inside the flat.
This prompted Prior to call for a taxi to go to his home address in Hazelwick Road, where prosecutors said he got the key to his ex’s flat and a knife to carry out the attack on Harrison.
At 5.30am, Prior and Curtis burst into Prior’s ex-girlfriend’s flat and Harrison was stabbed multiple times.
Curtis was found hiding in a bush by a drone, while Prior was arrested at his home address.
Curtis, of Lairdale Road in Dulwich, was jailed for life with a minimum of 22 years while Prior, of Hazelwick Avenue in Crawley, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years.
Read the full story – Dulwich killer jailed for murdering man who was in bed with his friend’s ex
He was part of a fake marriage scam
Jurick Croes (Image: Met Police) Jurick Croes was acting as a fake groom in a sham marriage scam when he stabbed a 25-year-old man to death and held his mum captive.
Croes had fallen out with Riches Obi and his mum, Bernadette Ortet, over a marriage scam.
Read the full story – Forest Hill hairdresser and two men jailed after marriage scam killing
Croes was paid £500 for his part in the scam but hatched a plan to rob Ms Ortet because he had been expecting £50,000.
When he and his two accomplices went to her house near Elephant and Castle in November 2020, Ms Ortet’s son Riches Obi tried to protect her and was fatally stabbed.
Croes will serve at least 30 years in prison
