A man has been convicted of murder and four others of manslaughter over a violent attack that saw a man stabbed to death in his home in east London.
At the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 34-year-old Dwain Morrison, of Chudleigh Road, Romford, was found guilty of murdering 30-year-old Imran Isat.
Four others - Salah’din Kerbouba, Ronnie Haydon, Paul Higgins, and Dominic Diop - were convicted of manslaughter for their part in the brutal attack.
Mr Isat was watching TV with friends at his home in Springfield Drive, Ilford, on March 19 last year, when five men armed with knives and machetes burst through the front door around 1.15am.
It is thought the gang were after drugs, or money, or both.
Two of the gang broke down this flatmate’s door, while the other three went upstairs to the living room, where Mr Isat and his friends were watching TV.
Mr Isat tried to block the intruders from entering the room, but a struggle broke out as he tried to shut the door on them.
One of the men, armed with a large knife, stabbed Mr Isat through a gap in the door, forcing him backwards.
The robbers forced their way in wielding knives and machetes, shouting “where’s the stuff?”
Mr Isat asked the intruders not to hurt him and told them to take what they wanted, but one of the robbers stabbed him while another struck one of his friends on the head.
One of the robbers then shouted “we’ve found it”, and “let’s go”, before running from the scene.
CCTV later showed Higgins leaving with a bag and a suitcase, and returning inside to get a second suitcase. Haydon also left carrying a bag.
None of the defendants ever told police what was in the bags and police were never able to establish what they stole.
Paramedics and police rushed to the property but were unable to save Mr Isat, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination later found he had been stabbed five times - with the fatal wound having penetrated his heart.
Scotland Yard launched a murder investigation and soon found the robbery had been planned.
CCTV and doorbell cameras showed some members of the gang keeping the house under surveillance.
They had arrived in two cars, both displaying false number plates, but through extensive CCTV work and phone analysis detectives tracked their movements before and after a brutal robbery.
The five gang members were arrested in July 2022, and all refused to answer police questions.
They were charged with robbery and murder.
Three - Diop, Higgins and Morrison - pleaded guilty to robbery but not guilty to murder.
Haydon admitted he was at the scene, but denied robbery as he stated he did not use or threaten violence.
Kerbouba was the only one who denied he was ever at the scene, and he pleaded not guilty to murder and robbery. However, after hearing all of the evidence, the jury found all five guilty of their role in the attack.
Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke from the Met’s Specialist Crime, said: “This killing was pointless.
“It is probable that when the fatal stab wound was inflicted, Mr Isat was on the ground and not offering any resistance. It was a callous act of brutality that took his life. We may never know what the gang stole, but it was surely not worth killing a man while he was helpless on the ground.
“Despite their efforts to avoid detection, the extensive police inquiry was able to identify and arrest those responsible. These men have been found guilty for their roles in the attack and face years in prison - they will now have to deal with the consequences of their acts of violence.”
