Two teenagers who ambushed 17-year-old Chima Osuji and left him with fatal stab injuries have been convicted of murder.
Detectives used detailed forensic work, including mobile phone data and CCTV footage, to prove conclusively that the two teenagers, both aged 16 at the time of the incident and who cannot be named for legal reasons, were responsible for the attack in Chingford.
Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith, from the Met’s homicide team, led the investigation and said: “By methodically unpicking the events leading up to the attack on Chima, we could establish both teenagers conspired to carry out this cowardly assault.
“After spending the evening together, they took a minicab to Longshaw Road in Chingford and lay in wait armed with knives, using parked vans as cover, before ambushing an unsuspecting Chima.
“Within seconds, the pair had fled to the waiting cab and left the scene, leaving Chima dying on the pavement. The driver recalls the pair in jubilant mood – a sickening comparison to the devastating scene they had left behind.
“Neither of them has ever admitted why they carried out this attack. From the evidence gathered it is clear this was not a chance encounter but a planned act of violence that had catastrophic consequences.”
An investigation was launched after police were called at around 21:20hrs on 10 April 2023. Chima was found collapsed on the pavement in Longshaw Road suffering stab injuries. Despite the efforts of police and paramedics, along with members of the public who provided first aid, Chima died at the scene.
Detectives quickly established through initial CCTV work that two males had carried out the attack. Chima was in the company of another teenager at the time of the attack who had managed to flee unharmed and he was able to assist police in identifying one of the attackers.
A sword was also recovered at the scene – while it was not used to inflict the fatal injuries on Chima, it did contain a fingerprint of the other teenage attacker.
Both teenagers were arrested within three days of the attack; officers seized phones belonging to the pair and built up a picture of contact that suggested Chima was lured to the scene via a third party.
It also tracked the pair’s movements to the murder scene, and in the hours after they had carried out their fatal attack.
Both teenagers refused to answer any questions while in police custody, but the weight of evidence that was built ensured both were charged with murder.
The pair appeared for trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court and were found guilty of murder on Monday, 22 January – both will be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 1 March.