Man jailed for life over ‘brutal’ murder ‘fuelled by jealousy’
A MAN has been jailed for life for the “brutal” murder of “defenceless” Mehran Heydari in West Ealing.
Mehran, 26, was stabbed to death in a residential street close to his flat by Ismail Yusuf in an attack fuelled by jealousy over a woman they both had relations with.
Police and paramedics rushed to The Avenue, close to West Ealing station, in the early hours of November 24 2019, but Mehran was pronounced dead at the scene.
A trial at Croydon Crown Court heard how Mehran began to be chased by Yusuf, then 19, before he was stabbed at least three times as he “writhed on the ground in a hopeless attempt to defend himself”.
One of the stab wounds penetrated 12 centimetres into Mehran’s chest, rupturing the left ventricle of his heart.
Witnesses recalled seeing Mehran “slip over twice” as he desperately tried to get away from the defendant, before Yusuf was seen “stood over him” and thrusting a knife towards his victim multiple times.
Yusuf, now 20, then fled the scene before emergency services arrived.
Enquiries established that Mehran, in an attempt to flee, got into his car and tried to drive away before crashing into another vehicle.
Yusuf was identified as a suspect and a large manhunt ensued, with police searching various addresses, including those of his family members.
He attended a north London police station on December 2 2019 and was arrested before being charged the next day.
Michelle Nelson QC, prosecuting, told the court that the motivation for the attack was “anger and loss of temper fuelled by jealous and revenge”.
The jury was told of how the woman was living with Yusuf, but the pair had a “somewhat volatile” relationship and she had turned to Mehran for “his friendship and support”.
However, it is understood that the relationship may have become “more intimate” and Mehran had told a friend he was sleeping with the woman.
Yusuf admitted manslaughter, but was found guilty of murder on April 30.
The 20-year-old, of Hangar Lane, Ealing, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years and 213 days.
He was also sentenced to 18 months imprisonment which is concurrent for having a bladed article at Croydon Crown Court on Friday May 4.
Speaking following the conviction, Detective Sergeant Brian Jones, of the Specialist Crime team, described Yusuf as “incredibly dangerous”.
He added: “Mehran Heydari was the victim of a brutal assault at the hands of Ismail Yusuf. His death has left his family devastated. They will live with the impact of Yusuf’s actions for the rest of their lives – this is the tragedy of knife crime.
“I hope this urges those offenders who carry knives and other offensive weapons to seriously consider the impact of their decision.
“Yusuf is an incredibly dangerous individual and I have no doubt that the streets are a safer place now he is behind bars.”