Paul Akinnuoye
A Nigerian man has been sentenced to 21 years at the Old Bailey for fatally stabbing a teenager in south London in 2017.
Paul Akinnuoye, 20 (19.01.98) of Cobbetts Ride, Tunbridge Wells,
was previously convicted of murder at the same court, on Thursday, 22
February, following the killing of 19-year-old Jordan Wright on 19 April
2017 on Hervey Road in Blackheath.
The college graduate, who was due to start an apprenticeship in the
construction industry when he was attacked, died after being stabbed in
the chest.
Police were originally called at approximately 20:10hrs on 19 April
2017 to reports of a stabbing on Hervey Road, at the junction of Begbie
Road, SE3.
Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and found Jordan badly wounded. He later died in hospital.
Although they were not friends, in the hours leading up to the
assault, Jordan and Akinnuoye had both been part of a group chat on
‘WhatsApp’ which developed into an argument between the two, escalating
to the point that they made arrangements to meet for a pre-arranged
fight to settle their differences.
CCTV footage prior to the incident captured the two meeting up and
showed Akkinuoye being physically held back from Jordan following an
exchange of words.
The group entered the park where a fight ensued, during which
Jordan was fatally stabbed in the chest. Helped out of the park, the
teenager collapsed at its entrance after saying, "I feel unwell".
Local residents came to his assistance, administering first aid
until the arrival of the LAS who took him to Queen Elizabeth Hospital,
where he died at 21:24hrs.
A special post-mortem held at Greenwich Mortuary the following day
gave cause of death as an incised wound to the chest. Other stab
injuries were also found on his body.
Inquiries established that it was Akinuoye who had been involved in
the disagreement with Jordan; and he was arrested on 26 April 2017.
Offering a "no comment" interview, he was released under police
investigation.
The murder weapon was recovered from shrubbery within the park.
Inquiries identified that the same knife had gone missing from the home
address of Akinnuoye; and on 1 September 2017 he was re-arrested and
charged with Jordan’s murder.
Detective Inspector Jo Sidaway,of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said:
"This murder left Jordan's family devastated and was a big shock to the
local community; seemingly over a minor dispute between two young men.
While nothing will ever make up for this needless loss of life, I hope
that today's sentencing will bring some closure for his loved ones."
In a victim impact statement submitted to the court, Jordan's
mother, Katharine Alade, revealed that the trauma caused by her son's
death had left her feeling so distressed that she had contemplated
suicide. She said:
"You don't realise until it happens to you how far reaching one
moment of madness can be and what an impact it can make on your life
forever. There is not one day when I don't shed tears. I didn't think it
was possible to feel such physical, psychological or mental pain until
that fateful day last April. I know I will never be the same. It is now
nearly a year later and I still feel as depressed as I did the day I
went to Queen Elizabeth's Hospital in Woolwich to be told that my son
did not make it."
She said that it was only when it came to his funeral she knew how
much Jordan had been loved - there were over 600 mourners and prior to
that they had had 300 people at his memorial nine days after his
untimely death.
"I could have dealt with him dying at such a young age through
illness, but not by the hands of a boy the same age as him, and over
what?" she asked.
Ms Alade also recalled how Jordan had been a 'gift' born
to her relatively late in life when she had not planned more children -
and despite enduring challenges from having autism, he had wanted for
nothing and was happy and loving. The condition did contribute however,
she believed, towards his "innocent" outlook to life, meaning that he did not fully take on board the dangers on the streets such as knife crime, gangs and violence.
Jordan's father, Neville Wright, also talked of how his son's unfulfilled potential haunted him on a dailly basis. "Jordan
was my son, his death has changed my life forever. He was very loving,
funny and a very caring person, as well as a very popular person. I
think of him every day..of what he would have achieved in life - he is
gone, but not forgotten."
Three other men who were arrested on suspicion of murder on 4 May
2017 and released under investigation, were all subsequently released
with no further action.
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