A 23-year-old man has been found guilty of murder after “luring a young man to his death” in south-east London.
Julian Ebanks had only been in London for 90 minutes when was fatally stabbed in Kender Street, Greenwich, in August 2023.
Ishmaiel Kallon will serve a minimum of 22 years behind bars after Woolwich Crown Court found him guilty for his role.
However, the man who stabbed the victim remains at large.
Mr Ebanks was found stabbed fatally on the street and after a long investigation officers identified Kallon and another man as the main suspects.
“The court heard that Kallon had phoned Julian in the hours before the attack,” a report by the Met read.
“It became clear that his intention was to lure Julian out into the open in Kender Street. Julian was then stabbed by another man whilst Kallon acted as a spotter.”
Enquiries are still ongoing to locate the other man.
Julian had left London earlier in the year fearing for his life but had returned to attend a family member’s birthday party, the police said. He had only been back in London for 90 minutes before he was murdered.
“Kallon never gave any explanation to why Julian was brutally murdered. However, analysis of Kallon’s devices showed that this attack was fuelled by a disagreement between the parties earlier in 2023.”
Detective chief inspector Martin Thorpe, who led the homicide investigation, called Kallon a “dangerous individual” who had no qualms in leading Mr Ebanks to his death.
“Our thoughts of course remain with the loved ones of Julian - we know this has been an extremely difficult time and we will continue to offer them our full support,” he said.
"I am pleased that as a result of our investigation we have delivered justice for the Ebanks family by ensuring the person responsible for Julian’s killing will spend a considerable time behind bars.
“I would also like to commend the outstanding work of my team. Their incredible dedication and many long hours analysing CCTV and phone records meant that Kallon was identified and arrested only six days after the horrific attack."
