Man jailed for life after being found guilty of Brighton man's murder
Daniel Macleod will spend a minimum of 19 years behind bars for the murder.
A man has been jailed for life after being found guilty of the murder of a Brighton man.
Abdul Deghayes, aged 22, was found critically injured in a car that had crashed in Elm Grove, Brighton, at 9.30pm on Saturday, 16 February, 2019.
He had been stabbed eight times by 37 year-old Daniel Macleod, of Gypsy Road, Lambeth in London, in an attack in Hanover Court that was witnessed by his friend.
Abdul was taken by ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, but died from his injuries at 6am the following morning.
Today (13 November), Macleod has been jailed for a minimum of 19 years for the murder and 85 months after pleading guilty to conspiring to supply drugs of class A and class B.
The sentences will run concurrently.
A second defendant, Stephen Burns, aged 56, (below left) of Lennox Street, Brighton, who was on trial for assisting an offender, was found not guilty of the offence.
However, he did plead guilty to conspiring to supply drugs of class A and class B, and was jailed for 34 months.
A third man 25 year-old Abdi Dahir (above right) was jailed for 50 months after pleading guilty to conspiring to supply drugs of class A and class B, offences that came to light during the murder investigation.
The guilty verdict was returned by the jury after a five-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London on 9 October.
Detective Chief Inspector Colin Pirie, from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, who led the investigation, said:
"Our thoughts at this time are with Abdul's family and friends and we hope that we have provided some of the answers as to how he met his death and crucially, by whom.
"Ultimately, we sought to identify who committed what is the most serious crime of all.
"Daniel Macleod killed Abdul Deghayes in a brutal attack.
"He stabbed him eight times in his legs, buttocks and back in a sustained assault that Abdul desperately tried to avoid, as was evidenced by the defensive wounds that he suffered to his hands.
"Despite this, Macleod claimed that he was defending himself, but the court has not accepted that defence and I thank them for their verdict.
"From the moment that Abdul was found in the car in Elm Grove, this has been a fast-moving and dynamic enquiry and my team worked long hours over many days to maximise the collation of evidence.
"I would also like to recognise the courage of the witnesses who came forward to support us in achieving this result.
"The investigation has shone a light on the extent of Daniel Macleod's drug-dealing activities in the Brighton area and during the course of this investigation, we recovered large amounts of drugs, cash and other items indicative of organised crime.
"Daniel Macleod, Stephen Burns and Abdi Dahir were also sentenced for conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B controlled drugs.
"However, the murder of Abdul was my focus and I would like to acknowledge the incredible and inspiring professionalism of my police officer and police staff colleagues who day after day demonstrated their commitment to this investigation making personal sacrifices to achieve this result, I am very proud of them all."