Man found guilty of killing musician
GRANDFATHER STABBED SEVERAL TIMES AFTER ROW
A MAN who stabbed a Southall grandad several times after they had a row about him spitting in the street has been found guilty of killing the well-respected musician and rugby coach.
Allan Isichei, 69, was walking back to his home in St Mary’s Avenue South when he spotted Gurjeet Singh Lall spitting while he was leaning against a wall.
They had a brief row about Lall’s behaviour and as Mr Isichei walked away Lall spat on the ground again, at which point Mr Isichei turned back.
As further words were exchanged, Lall pulled out a knife and stabbed Mr Isichei several times in a struggle, during which the victim managed to disarm Lall.
Mr Isichei, apparently not realising how badly he was injured, got up and walked down the street before stopping. He then staggered to a neighbour’s address and rang the doorbell, pleading for help.
Police and paramedics were called immediately and arrived minutes later, shortly after 6.30pm on August 24 2019. Mr Isichei was treated at the scene before being placed into an ambulance that was forced to stop shortly after it left as his condition deteriorated.
Paramedics battled to save his life, but despite their efforts he died at 7.56pm.
Police traced Lall to his home at Vine Cottages, in St Mary’s Avenue South, after following a blood trail from injuries he sustained.
During a police interview he claimed in a prepared statement that he had been acting in selfdefence.
Following a review of Lall’s mental health, he was deemed fit to stand trial.
The 36-year-old was found guilty of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility at Inner London Crown Court on Monday October 26.
Detective Inspector Jamie Stevenson, of the Met’s Specialist Crime, said: “There was no good reason for Lall to have had a knife in his possession that day and no good reason for him to use it.
“I am glad that he has been convicted and the jury rejected his claim that he was acting in self-defence.”
Mr Isichei was well-known and respected in his local community having lived in Southall for many years.
He had worked as a builder and later as a director in a building firm, and was an influential member of the Wasps rugby team for many years, as a player in the 1970s and 1980s and then later on as a coach.
Mr Isichei was also an experienced saxophonist who was part of a jazz group that played in many venues across London.
On the evening of the attack he had gone to The Plough pub, in Tentelow Lane, just before 6pm where he enjoyed a beer and read his tablet in the beer garden.
He was a regular customer to the pub, which was just a short walk from his home.
Mr Isichei typically only had one drink and so left at around 6.30pm. It was on that walk home that Lall stabbed him.
In a statement, Mr Isichei’s family said: “We have suffered from the tragic loss of our father, who was kind, generous and an inspirational man to many.
“To see him described by his assailant as an aggressor just isn’t who he was.
“He spent his time putting others before himself and the graphic camera footage shown in court clearly shows he was the victim of someone who chose to carry a knife.
“Why was a person with a history of carrying knives, who was only arrested while carrying one in January 2019, allowed to be back out on the streets unsupervised to carry out this senseless killing?
“As always, the voice of the victim is not heard.
“We can no longer ask him as he has been cruelly taken away from us. A pain we feel every day.”