A man has today (12 June) been jailed for a “senseless” fatal stabbing outside a sports bar, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.
David Joseph Johnson, 38, and of Haddo Street, Greenwich, was found guilty of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm with intent on 2 February following a three-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court. He pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article at an earlier court hearing.
He has been sentenced to fourteen years in prison with seventeen years on extended license.
Ibrahim Bah, 34, described by his family as “a loving father and a wonderful brother”, died in the early hours of Sunday 1 May 2022 as a result of a single stab wound.
At just after 2am on 1 May 2022, a fight broke out following an altercation between a large group of people outside Belushi’s bar next to Greenwich railway station.
CCTV footage played in court captured the moment Johnson pulled a knife from his waistband and began waving it around, slashing a 37-year-old man across the arm.
He then made a beeline for Bah, and quickly stabbed him once in the abdomen. Bah collapsed to the pavement and was surrounded by people who came to his aid.
Officers and paramedics raced to the scene and Bah was taken to a local hospital – he sadly died an hour after the attack.
Johnson was identified by detectives who reviewed mobile phone and CCTV footage of the incident, and the following day BTP officers descended on an address in New Cross, London, to arrest him.
DI Daren Bates, senior investigating officer in the case, said: “Johnson’s senseless and cowardice violence that night has resulted in the needless loss of a caring father.
“My thoughts remain with Bah’s family whose lives will never be the same. While no verdict will ever be justice enough for them, I hope they can take some comfort in the fact that Johnson will be spending his foreseeable future incarcerated.
“This conviction is a result of tireless work by our investigative team who are wholeheartedly committed to ensuring Britain’s callous criminals are removed from society and put behind bars.”
Following the sentencing, Ibrahim Bah’s family said: “Whilst no sentence will ever bring our beloved Ibrahim back we are happy with the sentence that was given and all the hard work that has been put in. We thank every single person in the British Transport Police who has worked on this case and helped bring justice for Ibrahim. In particular Family Liaison Officer DC Jess Nye who has helped guide us through this incident and who without we would be lost and DI Darren Bates and Ds Paul Burbridge who worked diligently throughout the case.
“As a family we would like to move on and gain the closure that this sentencing has given us and whilst we will never be able to get over the loss of Ibrahim we hope to help build a life for his children and ourselves . We hope that people will learn from this and the knife pandemic in London can be curbed. David Johnson not only stole Ibrahim’s life but also every single persons that loved him.
“We belong to Allah and to him we return we pray for Allah to grant him Jannah.”
