Moped ‘highwaymen’ killed charity youth worker for his iphone
A MOPED gang who acted like “highwaymen of the 21st century” stabbed a charity worker to death while on a robbery spree across west London, a court has heard.
Abdul Samad, 28, was killed for his iphone and little more than “aggression and blood lust” as two teenagers swept across the capital on the evening of Oct 16 last year.
Jurors at the Old Bailey were told Nathan Gilmaney, 18, and his 17-year-old friend allegedly wanted to rob as many people as possible.
Oliver Glasgow QC, prosecuting, said they were “highwaymen of the 21st century who thought they had the right to threaten and rob whoever they found… who stabbed their victims often for no reason other than simple aggression and blood lust”.
Mr Glasgow added: “By the end of their four-hour spree of violence they had committed nine knifepoint robberies, they had gratuitously stabbed their defenceless victims and they had killed Abdul Samad, a 28-year-old man whose job as a charity youth worker had seen him devote his time to helping the very sort of young men who took his life.”
The robberies began at 10.30pm in Maida Vale when they stabbed a man in the back as he tried to board a bus to escape. An hour later in Paddington the pair attacked an elderly Venezuelan woman and her nephew, who was stabbed in the stomach. Seconds later, they confronted Mr Samad, who was stabbed in the heart despite handing over two of his belongings. Mr Glasgow said: “Mr Samad managed to stagger the short distance back to where his family lived but he collapsed at the door. His parents, who heard his cries, found him bleeding to death outside their home.”
As the emergency services rushed to help and “tried to comfort his traumatised family”, the moped gang “completely unmoved by what they had just done, prowled the streets looking for another target”, the court heard.
Minutes later they tried to rob another man, but he escaped.
Two other victims were robbed before the pair returned to Maida Vale to offload their stolen goods. About 20 minutes later, at 1.30am, two more victims were stabbed before a woman was punched in the face after handing over her bag. Their final target was stabbed in the stomach at 2am despite giving the robbers his phone and wallet.
As the casualties mounted, police were alerted and the pair were arrested with their pockets stuffed with stolen valuables. Gilmaney, of Maida Vale, admits manslaughter, four counts of wounding with intent and both he and the 17-year-old admit six counts of robbery. Both defendants deny murder and the trial continues.