Two men convicted of murder in Croydon
33-year-old Albert Amofa was murdered after the attackers mistakenly thought he had drugs in his car
Two men have been convicted of murder after tracking and stabbing a man in his car that they mistakenly believed was carrying a large quantity of drugs.
Donald Owusu, 25, of no fixed address, and Harvey MacFoy, 26, of Beachborough Road, Bromley, were both found guilty of the murder of 33-year-old Albert Amofa today following a trial at the Old Bailey.
Owusu, MacFoy, and an unidentified man attacked Albert Amofa on the evening of 15th December 2019, they asked for the keys to his car in what's thought to have been an attempt to steal the cannabis they thought was inside.
Mr Amofa was arriving home shortly after 21:10, he and his female friend parked his car in Drake Road on returning from dropping Albert’s son to his mother in west London.
He was then rushed by two men on his attempt to get out of the car, one of whom was Owusu, who pushed him back into the car.
The woman, who had already got out of the car, was grabbed by MacFoy and forced into the back.
The attackers demanded the keys to the car, when struggling to find them Owusu stabbed Albert in the leg multiple times.
All three suspects ran from the car leaving Albert bleeding heavily on the pavement, the woman was unharmed.
The emergency services were called, and Albert was taken to hospital where he died the next day.
Just over a week after the murder, a car-hire firm reported one of their Peugeots as stolen.
It was confirmed that the car was fitted with a device that recorded its location each time the engine was turned on and off, so they could track its location.
They found the car had been hired around a week earlier and paid for by the girlfriend of MacFoy.
When pairing CCCTV with the locations the car had been parked since being hired on the 13th December, detectives identified that MacFoy and Owusu had been regularly using it.
Data revealed the car had been driven and parked in Onslow Road, Croydon minutes before the attack on Albert, and was driven away almost immediately after the suspects were seen fleeing Drake Road.
Mobile phones in MacFoy and Owusu’s possession showed they’d been in regular contact with each other at key times throughout the days around Albert’s murder, and placed them at significant locations.
Both MacFoy and Owusu were arrested, and the car was found abandoned with false number plates in Nottingham.
It had been driven there by Theo Brown, a mechanic, who removed the tracking device, while MacFoy travelled in convoy in a van.
The car contained traces of Albert’s blood, indicating that either Owusu or MacFoy, or both, had been in the car after the attack.
A tracking device was discovered fixed to the underside of Albert’s car on forensic examination following the murder, this device was purchased on the 29th November and revealed further evidence of Owusu and MacFoy’s planning.
By tapping into the movements of Albert’s car, Owusu and MacFoy were able to precisely time their arrival in Onslow Road on the night of the murder, to coincide with Albert’s return from his trip to west London.
Theo Brown, 32, of Horsham, West Sussex, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice for his role in disposing of the car used in the attack.
Owusu, MacFoy and Brown will be sentenced at the same court, a date is yet to be set.
The second man who entered the front of the car with Owusu during the attack on Albert has not been identified.
Detective Inspector Jo Sidaway, a homicide detective from the Met’s Specialist Crime, led the investigation and said: “Owusu and MacFoy put a considerable amount of planning into the attack on Albert, who they believed would be in possession of a considerable quantity of cannabis.
"Whether their actual plan was to rob Albert using the threat of violence before making their escape will never be known. However, their initial motive is irrelevant as they descended into using lethal violence as events unravelled, leaving Albert with multiple stab injuries as they fled from the scene empty-handed.”
"Albert's death was senseless and cruel"
Albert's family said: "We as a family are very pleased with the outcome of the trial. Albert’s death was senseless and cruel. He suffered for 48 hours in intensive care before passing away. That will always stay with us.
"For two and a half years, we have had to put our lives on hold waiting for this trial, which has prolonged our suffering.
Albert is not a statistic in black-on-black crime, he was a father, son, brother, uncle, cousin, friend and a good man, who is loved and we miss him dearly. We are glad that the men who committed this crime have been found guilty, but the cycle of violence needs to end."
"Initial intention escalated into a fatal attack"
Detective Inspector Sidaway added: “Owusu and MacFoy put a considerable amount of planning and resource into ensuring they knew where Albert would be so they could apprehend him.
"Why did they do this? They appear to have been convinced, having seen chat on social media, that Albert was dealing drugs and would be in possession of a large quantity of cannabis.
“I believe their initial intention was to rob Albert of the drugs they thought he had but, in the disarray that ensued, this escalated into a fatal attack.
“Throughout this trial, Albert’s family and friends have shown great strength and character – I can only hope that the conviction of Owusu and MacFoy can bring some sort of justice to them as they continue to deal with the unbearable pain Albert’s untimely death has caused.”