A man has been convicted of murder and four others of manslaughter after detectives carried out extensive CCTV work and phone analysis to track their movements before and after a brutal robbery.
On Tuesday, 11 July at the Old Bailey, Dwain Morrison, 34 (09.10.88) of Chudleigh Road, RM3 was found guilty of the murder of 30-year-old Imran Isat. He had pleaded guilty to robbery at an earlier hearing.
Four others were convicted of Imran’s manslaughter:
– Salah’din Kerbouba, 28 (27.12.94) of Sandringham Gardens, IG6;
– Ronnie Haydon, 32 (06.01.91) of Grafton Crescent, NW1;
– Paul Higgins, 36 (03.10.86) of Fanshawe Crescent, Hornchurch;
– Dominic Diop, 33 (17.03.90) of Cranfield Park Avenue, Basildon.
Kerbouba and Haydon were also found guilty of robbery while Higgins and Diop had pleaded guilty to robbery at an earlier hearing.
Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke from the Met’s Specialist Crime, said: “This was a planned robbery by a gang who had pre-armed themselves with knives and machetes. Members of the gang were recorded scoping out the house prior to the assault and the cars they used were on false plates.
“The weapons they brought with them clearly show these men were ready to use violence, and murder was the result. This killing was pointless, it is probable that when the fatal stab wound was inflicted, Mr Isat was on the ground and not offering any resistance. It was a callous act of brutality that took his life. We may never know what the gang stole, but it was surely not worth killing a man while he was helpless on the ground.
“Despite their efforts to avoid detection, the extensive police inquiry was able to identify and arrest those responsible. These men have been found guilty for their roles in the attack and face years in prison – they will now have to deal with the consequences of their acts of violence.”
The court heard how on 19 March 2022, 30-year-old Imran Isat was in the living room of his home on Springfield Drive in Ilford watching television with a couple of friends.
What he did not know was that five men had decided to break in and rob him, and that his home was being watched.
At around 01:15hrs the five men began their assault. They broke through the front door, two then broke down the door of Mr Isat’s flatmate while the other three went upstairs to the living room.
On hearing the noise Mr Isat went to the living room door to try and keep the men out, but he couldn’t close it.
A struggle began at the door and one of the men, who was holding a large knife, managed to stab Mr Isat through the gap, forcing him backwards.
The robbers forced their way in armed with knives and machetes, they were shouting “where’s the stuff?”
Mr Isat said something like “don’t hurt me – take what you want”, but one of the robbers stabbed him, while another struck one of his friends on the head with the flat blade of a knife.
One of the robbers then shouted “we’ve found it”, and “let’s go”; they then ran from the scene.
CCTV later recorded Higgins leaving with a bag and a suitcase and then going back inside to get a second suitcase. Haydon also left carrying a bag. None of the defendants ever told police what was in the bags and police were never able to uncover what they stole.
When paramedics and police arrived they did all they could to save Mr Isat, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination later found that he had been stabbed five times and one of the wounds was fatal having gone into his chest and penetrated his heart.
Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime (homicide) began a murder investigation and it soon became apparent that the robbery had been planned.
CCTV and doorbell cameras showed some members of the gang arriving earlier and keeping the house under surveillance.
It is believed that the gang were after drugs, or money, or both, and they had armed themselves with knives and machetes in order to carry out the crime.
Members of the gang had arrived in two cars and both cars were later found to have been using false plates.
However, the gang were traced through extensive CCTV work and phone records that showed their movements.
The five men were all arrested on dates in July 2022 and all refused to answer police questions.
They were charged with robbery and murder and three – Diop, Higgins and Morrison – pleaded guilty to robbery but not guilty to murder.
Haydon admitted he was at the scene, but denied robbery as he stated he did not use or threaten violence.
Kerbouba was the only one who denied he was ever at the scene and he pleaded not guilty to murder and robbery.
However, after hearing all of the evidence, the jury found all five guilty of their role in the attack.
