Man and teenager guilty of murdering 29-year-old man in attempt to steal his cell phone

A man and a teenager have been found guilty of murder after detectives used CCTV footage to trace their escape routes.

Nah'shun Thomas, 20, of Bournemouth Road in Peckham, and a 17-year-old boy who cannot be identified due to his age were found guilty on Friday (January 5) of the murder of Kalabe Legesse in Peckham Rye.

The couple were remanded in custody and will appear in the same court for sentencing on Friday, April 19.

Investigating officer Detective Inspector Adam Guttridge said: “The defendants were walking around the area armed with a knife which they were prepared to use to commit violent offences.

“Crime requires accountability and consequences. For cruelly and needlessly ending Kalabe Legesse’s life, they will have years in prison ahead of them to reflect on their actions and the lives they destroyed.”

They attacked the 29-year-old at around 8pm on December 30 as he sat on a bench in Peckham Rye Park talking on his phone.

During the robbery, Mr Legesse was fatally stabbed once in the chest and left to collapse on the bench where he died.

As part of their investigation, detectives combed through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage and, by tracing the suspects' movements, were able to identify their home addresses and both were arrested on suspicion of murder on Thursday 19 January 2023.

Police discovered that the defendants had committed two other mobile phone thefts shortly before Mr Legesse's murder.

Both victims of the robberies reported that the defendants implied they had a knife and asked: “Where are you from?” and “What have you got on you?” – comments heard during the attack on Mr Legesse.

Both defendants pleaded guilty to the two robberies and officers who searched the 17-year-old's home found a black-handled hunting knife with traces of Kalabe Legesse's blood inside the sheath.

Inspector Guttridge added: “My thoughts are with Kalabe Legesse's family today as they continue to come to terms with their loss. I sincerely hope they find some comfort in knowing that justice has been served.”

A spokesman for Mr Legesse's family said: “Nothing can bring back our son Kalabe.

“He was doing nothing wrong the night he was killed and we will never understand why he was murdered over a mobile phone. The defendants have shown no remorse for what they did to him. We recently passed the anniversary of his death; Christmas and New Year will never be the same for us.”

“Kalabe was loved by everyone he met and had a bright future ahead of him. He will never be able to start his own family and our family will never have him back.

“We are grateful to the investigative team for their hard work over more than a year to bring these individuals to justice.”