Latest news with #post-NottingHillCarnival
Sky News
20-02-2025
- Sky News
'Monster' Omar Wilson found guilty of beating top chef to death near Notting Hill Carnival
A self-described "monster" has been found guilty of beating a top chef to death near Notting Hill Carnival - before going clubbing. Omar Wilson, 32, was convicted of the murder of Mussie Imnetu at the Old Bailey after punching and kicking him during an altercation. Wilson claimed he acted in self-defence. CCTV showed Wilson approach the 41-year-old chef and headbutt him outside the Dr Power restaurant in Queensway, near west London's Notting Hill Carnival on 26 August last year, the court heard. Around a minute later, Wilson punched Mr Imnetu five times in the head, continued to repeatedly punch him while he was on his hands and knees, and then kicked him in the head. Mr Imnetu, who worked under star chefs Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, was said to have been "heavily intoxicated" at the time and died from his injuries four days later in hospital. Prosecutor Jacob Hallam KC had said: "The defendant had, by that point, struck him to his head more than a dozen times. Mr Imnetu had struck the defendant not once. "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." As nearby officers went to help the chef, Wilson walked away from the scene. He dropped his sunglasses and keys as he left. 'There's a monster in me' The court heard that after the assault, Wilson told an associate he "crossed the line" and said in a message: " There's a monster in me, man, and it's just like sometimes it comes out. "And I think I've messed up now, I've messed up, everything's finished." When asked how Notting Hill Carnival was in another message, the court heard that he replied: "Can't lie. I did the hands ting [sic] and I think it's a manslaughter," jurors heard. Wilson's defence After his arrest on 28 August 2024, Wilson told police officers that he had struck Mr Imnetu in "self-defence". He also claimed that the chef was behaving erratically, harassing girls, and had a bottle. Speaking in court, Wilson said he felt "trapped" and "scared" at the time because he believed Mr Imnetu was holding a broken bottle - which turned out not to be the case. A jury found Wilson, of Leytonstone, guilty of murder on Thursday. He was remanded into custody and will be sentenced on Friday. Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie said Mr Imnetu "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". Samantha Yelland, of the CPS, also 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 Independent
20-02-2025
- The Independent
Man found guilty of beating top chef Mussie Imnetu to death then leaving him to go clubbing
A man has been found guilty of beating a top chef near Notting Hill Carnival and leaving him dying in the street to go clubbing. Omar Wilson, 32, repeatedly punched and kicked Mussie Imnetu during an altercation outside Dr Power restaurant in Queensway, west London, on 26 August last year. Mr Imnetu, 41, who had worked under chefs Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, died later in hospital. During his Old Bailey trial, Wilson claimed he acted in self-defence, telling jurors: 'I just regret that somebody's life was taken while I was trying to defend mine.' A jury deliberated for 22 hours and 34 minutes to find him guilty of the chef's murder by a majority of 10 to two on Thursday. 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.' The jury had been shown graphic CCTV footage showing Wilson approaching Mr Imnetu and headbutting him. About a minute later, Wilson punched Mr Imnetu five times in the head, causing him to fall to the ground. Wilson continued to punch Mr Imnetu repeatedly while he was on his hands and knees, then kicked him in the head. Prosecutor Jacob Hallam KC had said: 'The defendant had, by that point, struck him to his head more than a dozen times. Mr Imnetu had struck the defendant not once. '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.' As nearby police moved to help Mr Imnetu, Wilson walked away having dropped his sunglasses and keys at the scene. Mr Imnetu, who worked at The Arts Club, a private member's establishment, was taken to hospital and died four days later without regaining consciousness, jurors heard. In the aftermath of the attack, Wilson told an associate he 'crossed the line'. In a message, he admitted: 'There's a monster in me, man, and it's just like sometimes it comes out. 'And I think I've messed up now, I've messed up, everything's finished.' Asked how the carnival was going, he replied: 'Can't lie. I did the hands ting (sic) and I think it's a manslaughter,' jurors heard. Following his arrest on August 28, Wilson told police he had struck the victim in 'self-defence'. He claimed Mr Imnetu was behaving erratically, harassing girls, and had a bottle. On being shown CCTV of Mr Imnetu being assaulted on the ground, Wilson said it 'seems excessive now' and watching it was 'f****** disgusting', jurors were told. Giving evidence in his trial, 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. Asked what he would have done differently with the benefit of hindsight, Wilson said: 'The thing that always haunts me the most was the police were so close and I didn't know at the time.' Wilson, of Napier Road, Leytonstone, east London, was remanded into custody and will be sentenced by Judge Philip Katz on Friday February 28. Samantha Yelland, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'Our thoughts remain with Mussie Imnetu's devastated family and friends who loved him dearly, as well as those who had to witness the shocking attack that evening. '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.'
The National
20-02-2025
- The National
Dubai chef's killer found guilty after dropping sunglasses at murder scene
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. 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 at the scene. 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 area of Queensway 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 member's establishment, was taken to hospital and died four days later without regaining consciousness, jurors 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, and had a bottle. 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."
