A man has been found guilty of murdering a Dubai chef after he was identified via DNA found on a pair of sunglasses he dropped at the crime scene near London's Notting Hill Carnival.
Omar Wilson, 32, repeatedly punched and kicked Mussie Imnetu outside the Dr Power restaurant in Queensway, west London, on August 26 last year. Mr Imnetu, 41, who had worked under celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, died later in hospital.
As nearby police moved to help Mr Imnetu, Wilson walked away from the crime scene, having dropped his sunglasses and keys. Officers were able to recover his DNA from the sunglasses, and the keys fit his house and car.
Analysis of his phone usage placed Wilson in the Queensway area at the time of the murder. The investigators were also able to piece together a puzzle of CCTV footage which showed the attack and Wilson’s subsequent journey to a nightclub.
Scotland Yard Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, who led the investigation, said: "Our thoughts very much remain with Mussie's family and friends in Dubai, Sweden and London, who had to relive the last traumatic moments of his life during the trial after Wilson refused to take responsibility for his actions.
"Mussie was a loving husband, father, son and a respected chef. He was in London for a few days to help train his colleagues and went out that evening to enjoy the post-Notting Hill Carnival atmosphere, where tragically he was violently assaulted."
Prosecutor Jacob Hallam KC said Wilson struck his victim “more than a dozen times” and that "at the end of that altercation, Mr Imnetu was dying on the ground and the defendant left and went clubbing in the Ministry of Sound".
Mr Imnetu, who worked at The Arts Club in Dubai, a private members' establishment, was taken to hospital and died four days later without regaining consciousness, jurors at the Old Bailey heard. Following his arrest on August 28, Wilson claimed he had struck Mr Imnetu in "self-defence", and alleged the victim was behaving erratically, harassing women.
Wilson claimed he hit Mr Imnetu because he felt "trapped" and "scared" and believed that the chef was holding a smashed bottle, although that turned out not to be the case. Samantha Yelland, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Omar Wilson's savage violence ultimately took the life of a much-loved man, and the Crown Prosecution Service was determined that he should face justice.
"The evidence in this case was overwhelming, with high-quality CCTV footage showing Wilson attacking the victim. While Wilson tried to claim his actions were in self-defence, the evidence clearly showed that he was the only person acting violently. I hope today's verdict – which will see Wilson put behind bars for the murder – provides some comfort to those who now have to live a life without Mussie."
