Seventeen-year-old boy pleaded guilty to manslaughter of Usaama Ali

A teenager from Catford has been convicted of the manslaughter of 17-year-old Usaama Ali in Acton last year.

Usaama, a former pupil at Acton High School, had gone to a café in Crown Street on 16 October 2015 to have breakfast. The court heard from witnesses that at about 11:50am there was an argument outside the café between Usaama and the defendant, who was also aged 17, that culminated with him stabbing Usaama in the heart.

Usaama Ali

The defendant ran off back down Crown Street, disposing of the knife, and a short time later he got rid of his clothes and a mobile phone that he had been using.

Paramedics from London Air Ambulance, two local doctors and other members of the public who had rushed to help Usaama, carried out first aid in a vain attempt to save the boy’s life. Usaama was taken to St Mary's Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2pm that day.

Local officers carried out enquiries in the area and, from the descriptions given by witnesses, they recognised the defendant as a possible suspect. The youth, who was 16-years-old at the time was arrested later that same evening at his home address, in the Catford area.

Detectives used telephone data to piece together communication between the two teenagers in the days leading up to the murder, and the court heard evidence that there appeared to have been conversations between them regarding a Segway that Usaama was offering for sale.

The accused, who cannot be named due tho his age at the time of the offence, had earlier entered a plea of guilty to manslaughter, and on Monday, 25 July, at Isleworth Crown Court, a jury found him not guilty of murder. He will be sentenced on 5 September 2016 at Isleworth Crown Court. Elijah Herry-Gooding, aged 18, of West Street, Erith, was also charged with Usaama's murder and was found not guilty of both murder and manslaughter.

Oslo-born Usaama had been booked on a flight to Egypt the next day where he was planning to continue his studies.

Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Reeves, who led the investigation, said: "Usaama's family are devastated by the loss of a son and brother. Why exactly this stabbing happened remains unclear. But what may have started out as a disagreement between two teenagers resulted in the death of a young man

"It would not have done so if the defendant had not decided to carry a knife with him that day. He is now facing a prison sentence for manslaughter.

"This is a tragic case which shows the consequences of young people carrying knives on our streets."