Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Two men who fatally stabbed a man in Croydon and then ordered pints of Guinness at a pub minutes later have been found guilty of murder at trial.
The Old Bailey was informed that Rijkaard Siafa, 22, was stabbed at least 13 times after being chased into an alleyway by Surrey Street market in Croydon, south London, by David Walcott, 35, Rammon Mali, 33, and a third suspect.
Shortly before 6 p.m. on April 12, the murder occurred as vendors at the historic fruit and vegetable market were wrapping up their operations for the day and preparing to move in cleaners.
Judge Anuja Dhir KC said:
“It is very difficult, I can see, to see the moments before and the moments after in that footage. It is quite brave to watch it and to behave in the way you did during this case”.
At the crossroads of Surrey Street and Fellmongers Yard, Croydon, CCTV captured the defendants and Mr. Siafa crossing paths.
Jurors heard the defendants reach inside the waistband of their pants and pursue Mr. Siafa as he turned around and fled into the yard.
They came out of the yard about 20 seconds later, and Mr. Siafa had been fatally stabbed.
According to prosecutor Anthony Orchard KC, the defendants and the third man then went to The Spread Eagle bar and used a £20 note to purchase three pints of Guinness.
The court was informed that the males stood up and left without finishing their beverages at 6:04 p.m. after being instructed to take off their hats in accordance with house regulations.
On his arrest later in south-west London, Walcott told police:
“This is madness. How am I getting nicked for murder bro? You ain’t even got the right person,” adding: “I’m not a murderer bro, I didn’t kill nobody.”
Four days after the murder, Mali fled the country, and on his return on May 5, he was taken into custody at Gatwick Airport.
Mali, of Croydon, and Walcott, of Norbury, south London, had denied any involvement in the stabbing.
Walcott was found guilty of possessing an article with a blade or point, and they were found guilty of murder on Wednesday.
In order to be sentenced in the Old Bailey on a later date, the defendants were remanded into custody.
The third suspect is still at large.
Judge Anuja Dhir KC spoke to Mr. Siafa’s family in court following the judgments, recognizing their grief and the “horrible situation” they were in while viewing CCTV footage of his passing.
She said:
“They have throughout this case behaved with complete dignity. It cannot be easy. It is a relatively modern phenomenon to have CCTV footage of the type we had in this case.
It is very difficult, I can see, to see the moments before and the moments after in that footage. It is quite brave to watch it and to behave in the way you did during this case.
I hope this trial brings some form of closure to those who are in court before me today.”
Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Townsend, from Scotland Yard, said:
“Our thoughts very much remain with Rijkaard’s family and friends, who had to relive the last traumatic moments of his young life during the trial after the defendants failed to take responsibility for their actions.
The defendants acted together, as a team. They had been looking for Rijkaard during the afternoon of Friday April 12 and when they found him, they viciously attacked him. He didn’t stand a chance.”
For information that results in the arrest and charging of Jordan Vincent, who is still at large for Rijkaard’s murder, detectives have offered a reward of up to £10,000.
Ms Townsend said:
“Even though Walcott and Mali have been convicted for the murder of Rijkaard, our investigation continues.
Rijkaard was only 22 and had his full life ahead of him – our team remains resolute in helping them secure justice and need the public’s help to do so.”
He added that he is grateful to all those who have come forward so far but we are appealing to people to dig deep into their consciences to help us locate Jordon Vincent.
If someone has any information, no matter how insignificant you think it might be, he would urge you to get in contact as this could prove to be crucial.
How did the Croydon police respond to the stabbing incident?
Police send officers to the area to evaluate the situation and offer prompt aid after learning of the incident.
To treat the sufferer, police make sure that emergency medical services (EMS) are contacted. They would guard the area until help could arrive.
At the site, officers start their preliminary investigation by obtaining information from witnesses, collecting evidence, and obtaining any pertinent video footage from adjacent cameras.
In order to encourage witnesses to come forward with information that could aid in the investigation, authorities frequently make public calls for any information pertaining to the occurrence.
