Gang jailed for killing London NHS worker

Four gang members have been jailed for a total of 101 years for the murder of an NHS worker in east London.

David Gomoh was repeatedly stabbed when he was randomly attacked in Canning Town in April last year.

The group who are aged between 18 and 23 years old, each received sentences of between 21 and 27 years behind bars.

When David was attacked he was speaking to his girlfriend on the phone. The court heard he was targeted as part of a "meaningless feud" that sparked a "petty but fatal game of one-upmanship" and was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

During the trial, jurors heard the victim had nothing to do with gangs.

The 24-year-old marketing graduate, who worked in procurement for the health service, staggered back to his home in east London and bled to death in front of his horrified family.

David Ture, 19, of no fixed address; Vagnei Colubali, 23, of Cambridge, and Muhammad Jalloh, 19, of no fixed address, were found guilty of Mr Gomoh's murder in August.

A fourth boy who was also convicted of murder but could not be named as he was under 18, can now be identified as Alex Melaku.

The teen, who turned 18 just a day before the sentencing hearing, is from Telford, Shropshire.

The defendants were also convicted of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent to another man who got away and has never been identified.

All four were handed life sentences, with Colubali and Jalloh given minimum terms of 27 years, Ture handed a minimum of 26 years and Melaku to serve at least 21 years.

Judge Mark Lucraft QC, the Recorder of London, said the killers had carried out a "brutal murder" which had involved a "significant degree" of planning.

He said: "The four of you are part of a north-side Newham gang, who have a feud with gangs on the south-side of the borough.

"I have no doubt there are many who live in all parts of the borough impacted by the acts of those like the four of you, who seem to kill simply for the sake of it and show little or no regard for human life."

He added: "David was a lone, innocent and entirely unsuspecting victim."

Mr Gomoh was in the "wrong place at the wrong time", he said, adding that he was stabbed no fewer than 10 times during the incident in Freemasons Road, with some of the wounds being almost 20cm deep.

Mr Gomoh's family were already in mourning at the time of his death, as his father had recently died.

In a victim impact statement, his mother Marian, said she is "haunted" by recurring nightmares about what happened, adding: "I felt numb, paralysed by grief and pain. Why David?"

She said the "psychological and emotional torture escalated" during the trial, as she listened to details of what happened to her "beautiful son".

She added that he had "so much to live for; so much unfulfilled promise and so much needed by the NHS trust he worked for to help distribute PPE and other stocks, so much humanity and compassion to share".

She said her son's murderers had "walked uninvited into our lives and destroyed David's life".

The defendants have "wrecked our family", she said, adding: "Their contempt for a human life is just beyond comprehension."

His sister Lizzie paid tribute to her "fun-loving, amazing brother" and said his death has had a "devastating impact on us all".

She said: "It still feels so raw and so fresh."

Referring to her brother's killers, she said: "I hope they will eventually show remorse."

Detective Chief Inspector Laurence Smith, who led the investigation, said: “These four defendants carried out a senseless attack on a completely innocent man and there is absolutely no doubt that London is a safer place with them behind bars.

“Despite the significant evidence linking them to this crime, all four refused to admit to their actions meaning David’s family and friends had to sit through a trial and re-live the worst night of their lives.

“Our thoughts, as always, remain with them and we hope they can now begin to grieve for the loss of their son and brother.”

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