South London ‘drug dealer’ guilty of beating addict to death

Shaun McEvoy, 56, died after he was found unresponsive at a flat on Durham Street in Kennington on February 15 last year.  

Today, exactly a year later, Dedan Simmons, 40, of Clapham Road in Stockwell, was found guilty of Shaun’s murder. 

During the trial the jury were told that Shaun was a drug user who led a “chaotic lifestyle” and on that morning he was in the Kennington flat with three other people.   

Dedan Simmons, who also went by the name Elvis, entered the flat uninvited because Shaun owed him money for drugs, prosecutor Anne Whyte said. 

Once inside the flat Simmons shouted “where’s my f***ing money”, stamped on Shaun’s chest and threatened to stab another person in the flat, the jury were told.  

She said: “He pushed Mr McEvoy to the floor and then he stamped on his chest heavily.  

“He then threw his weight about in what you will see was a small and somewhat congested room by picking up objects and throwing them and demanding that he be repaid his money.  

“He then left briefly, returning with a knife that he had probably found in the communal kitchen, and threatened to stab one of the other people in the room, Mr Dean Lewis.”  

Three other people were in the room with Shaun when the attack took place. One said he was sleeping when he was woken up by shouting.  

“He opened his eyes to see what he describes as a drug dealer he knows only as ‘Elvis’, who was shouting “where’s my fucking money”. He explained that they all owed ‘Elvis’ money,” Ms Whye said.  

After assaulting Mr McEvoy he said that Elvis stormed out of the room before returning with a knife.  

“He told Dean Lewis to put his hands on the table – Mr Flynn thought he was going to cut Mr Lewis’ hands off. He then describes Elvis as smashing a bowl, making further threats, and then leaving,” Ms Whyte said.

Shaun McEvoy (Image: Met Police)

Ms Whyte said Shaun complained that his chest hurt and at around 3.15pm he was found lying on the bathroom floor “white as a sheet”.  

A 999 call was made but he was pronounced dead at 5.24pm with the cause of death given as blunt force trauma to the torso.    

Simmons was arrested at his home address on March 1, 2023.  

He denied murder but after a two-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court he was found guilty. 

Simmons will be sentenced at a later date.