Kevin Metzger, led by Karim Khalil Karim QC, both instructed by Sajid Hussain of Don Solicitors, represented their client who confessed to a cold case murder after 36 years.
The victim’s body was discovered inside his flat in Kilburn, after he failed to turn up to his job as a head waiter in London. He had suffered injuries, including a fractured skull, having been hit by a heavy ashtray, found at the scene. The police investigation into the killing had been closed in 1985 due to a lack of leads and the prosecution accepted that it was unlikely that the offender would have been identified had he not confessed. The case was reopened when the defendant attended Chiswick Police Station last year at 4am, confessing to the killing. The court heard that the victim had invited the defendant to his home in the early hours and was on the sofa when he was attacked.
The defendant pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced on the 14th October 2021, following mitigation from Karim Khalil QC. The 59 year old man, who was 21 at the time of the offence, was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of just under 15 years.