A man has been found guilty of murder after forensic scientists found his DNA on a knife that was used to kill a man in Maida Vale.

Antoine Roehrig, 22 (20.10.00), of Lothrop Street, W10, was convicted on Friday, 26 May, of the murder of Eltom Mohamed Eltom, following a trial at Isleworth Crown Court.

A second man, Thomas Tyrell, 23 (12.05.00), of Shirland Road, W9, previously pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon. He was sentenced to 15 weeks’ imprisonment.

Shortly after 22:00hrs on 31 October 2020, police were called to reports of a group of people fighting in Fernhead Road, W9.

Officers attended along with the London Ambulance Service and Eltom, known as Tom, was found with stab wounds. CPR was carried out at the scene, but sadly the 19-year-old could not be saved.

A post-mortem examination carried out on 2 November 2020 confirmed Eltom had been stabbed ten times, including a fatal wound that pierced his heart.

A murder investigation was launched and detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command began urgent enquiries to trace those responsible.

They had established Eltom and Roehrig had been involved in a disagreement before the attack, and that Roehrig had spent part of the day attempting to find Eltom.

Roehrig later tracked Eltom down to the landing of a block of flats in Fernhead Road, where he confronted him.

Eltom pushed Roehrig and Roehrig left the landing before returning with a knife. He chased Eltom, caught up with him, and then stabbed him several times.

Specialist officers searched the scene and found four weapons, including a Samurai sword, a black-handled kitchen knife, a wooden-handled knife and a cleaver.

They were examined by forensic scientists, who found the victim’s blood on the black-handled kitchen knife, along with DNA from both Roehrig and Tyrell. Roehrig’s fingerprint was also found on the cleaver.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Rawlinson, who lead the investigation, said: “When Roehrig chased Eltom, there was no threat to him. Eltom was running away, and Roehrig pursued him armed with a knife in what was an act of pure aggression.”

Roehrig was quickly identified and he was arrested by officers later the same night after attempting to flee by breaking into the home of a family who lived at the block of flats. Cannabis, scales, snap bags and cash were found during a search of his home.

Tyrell was part of the group that was on the landing. He was armed with a samurai sword, and his DNA was recovered from the weapon used by Roehrig to murder Eltom.

While there was no evidence to suggest that Tyrell had harmed the victim, he was part of the group fighting.

DCI Rawlinson added: “It is sad and concerning that for so many young men, disagreements are met with extreme violence.

“While nothing can bring Eltom back to his family I hope that the verdicts handed down bring them a sense that justice has been served. Our thoughts are with them today. “

Roehrig will be sentenced on Friday, 23 June. The venue for this hearing has not yet been confirmed.