February has been an extremely busy month in London's courts.
Among those jailed were six men who were convicted of the murder of Michael Jonas in Penge and two men who were found guilty of murdering Charlie Bartolo and Kearne Solanke in Abbey Wood.
Meanwhile, a truck driver was jailed after he crashed into a bus stop in Blackheath and killed 14-year-old Logan Finch.
And in other news, a mum from Erith was jailed after she tried to cover up an XL Bully attack.
Here are the names and faces of South Londoners who are now behind bars.
Alagie Jobe, Hussain Bah, Sammie Shallangwa and Jake Debonsu
On November 26, 2022, five teens “armed to the teeth” with knives and machetes drove from Thamesmead to Abbey Wood with the intention of killing a local boy.
They set upon 16-year-old Charlie Bartolo and stabbed him to death.
Hussain Bah was driving a Nissan Qashqai which rammed Charlie off his motorbike on Sewell Road.
Alagie Jobe, Kearne Solanke and Shallangwa jumped out of the car and stabbed Charlie to death as he laid defenceless on the floor.
But in a moment of “murderous stupidity” one of the killers accidentally knifed “one of their own team”, Kearne Solanke, meaning two 16-year-old lives were lost that night.
Kearne was driven to Titmuss Avenue in Thamesmead where he was abandoned to die on the pavement.
All four defendants were given life prison sentences.
Read our previous coverage of this story:
- 'I couldn't dress my dead son due to the horrific knife wounds all over his body'
- Teens who killed friend as they murdered another boy in Abbey Wood jailed for life
- Thamesmead gangsters jailed for murder of Charlie Bartolo and ‘own goal killing’
Frederick Mansfield
Frederick Mansfield, 43, of Imperial Gardens in Hythe, was jailed after he crashed his truck into a bus stop in Blackheath, killing a 14-year-old boy.
Logan Finch was waiting for the 321 bus on Eltham Road with his aunt and cousins on December 21, 2021, when Mansfield’s truck veered onto the pavement.
Logan was tragically pronounced dead at the scene after he was pinned between the truck and the bus stop, while his aunt Rachel Poole was left with serious injuries.
Natalie Roach, Logan’s mum, told the court: “Logan was a bright, energetic, playful and considerate young man, loving life and his family.
“There was so much love from people who knew Logan. He was everyone’s favourite person. Not a bad word could be said about Logan.”
During a trial, Mansfield had blamed a previously undiagnosed sleep condition for Logan’s death, as he claimed he had drifted off seconds before the crash.
But Natalie criticised Mansfield for pleading not guilty to causing Logan’s death and forcing them to endure an agonising trial.
“As a parent, we teach our children right and wrong. To be honest, Frederick Mansfield hasn’t done what is right,” she said.
Mansfield was jailed for seven years.
Read the full story - Driver who killed boy, 14, in Blackheath crash then blamed sleep is jailed
Danielle Roberts
Danielle Roberts, 42, of Byron Drive in Erith, tried to cover up a devastating XL Bully attack on her daughter’s 10-year-old friend.
She was out shopping when her boyfriend’s dog mauled the young girl at her home.
When her panicked daughter phoned to tell her about the attack, Roberts said “sort that girl out or we’ll be in trouble”.
The seriously injured young girl was then told to hide in the bathroom from police, who had been called by a neighbour.
Roberts initially refused to let police inside the house until the injured girl staggered downstairs and called out “help me”.
As she drifted in and out of consciousness, the girl told officers: “If I die tell my parents I love them.”
Roberts wept as she was sentenced to 20 months in prison for perverting the course of justice and being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog which caused injury.
Louis Vandrose
The gang attacked Emmanuel Odunlami, a 32-year-old music manager from Romford, after he left a restaurant.
One of the robbers, 27-year-old Jordell Menzies, stabbed Emmanuel before the group fled the scene in a Mercedes.
Vandrose was jailed for 15 years for manslaughter and robbery.
Menzies, of Tennyson Road in Brent, was jailed for life with a minimum of 31 years.
Six men who killed Michael Jonas
Six men have been jailed for life after they lured a 17-year-old boy to a park in Penge then stabbed him to death.
Michael Jonas was lured to Betts Park then stabbed to death on November 2, 2017.
After a six year wait for justice, Michael’s killers were jailed this month for murder.
He had been approached by five of the group as he walked down Anerley Road, before all walking into the park together.
Just three minutes later, all of the defendants were seen fleeing the park on bicycles.
The fatal attack had taken no more than 120 seconds.
Police say none of the group ever admitted responsibility or provided any reason for their actions, however the court heard that they had believed Michael was a ‘snitch’.
- Nyron Jean Baptiste, 22, of Queen Adelaide Road, Penge – life with a minimum of 31 years
- Divon Henry-Campbell, 23, of Fayland Avenue, Streatham – life with a minimum of 18 years
- Jason Smith, 20, of Bow Avenue Lane, Dartford – life with a minimum of 12.5 years
- Jamie Marshall, 22, of Burham Close, Penge – life with a minimum of 13 years
- Ryan Girense Brown, 21, of Sydenham Road, Croydon – life with a minimum of 12 years
- Sarraviho Smith, 23, of Grove Hill Road, Camberwell – life with a minimum of 17 years
Read the full story - Six men jailed after luring boy, 17, to Penge park then stabbing him to death.
Nicholas Hopkins
Biker Nicholas Hopkins, 20, of Burrage Grove in Plumstead, killed an eight-year-old boy on a pedestrian crossing in Plumstead.
Hopkins, who was unlicensed and uninsured, ploughed into Mustafa Ahmed as he crossed the road with his dad and 10-year-old brother on February 19 last year.
Mustafa died at the scene of the crash while his brother and dad both suffered life changing injuries.
Horrific CCTV footage showed Hopkins speeding past stationary cars and through a set of red traffic lights before crashing into the family.
Experts calculated Hopkin's speed was nearly 60mph, despite it being a 30mph road.
He was jailed for 12 years for causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, causing death whilst uninsured, and causing death whilst unlicensed.
Oscar Castano-Colque
On February 28 last year he repeatedly stabbed Rafioullah Malik was on-board a bus in Oxford Circus.
In the days before the murder Castano-Colque had bombarded his ex-girlfriend with messages declaring his love for her and telling her their relationship wasn’t over.
Rafioullah was taken to hospital where he later died almost a month later on March 23.
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley who led the investigation said: “Castano-Colque could not accept his relationship was over and his former girlfriend had moved on.
“On the day of the attack we tracked his movements on CCTV to target the bus Rafioullah Malik was on in order to carry out his vicious and determined attack.
“After stabbing Rafioullah numerous times, Castano-Colque left the bus and attempted to throw away his coat and the murder weapon.”
Castano-Colque was sentenced to life with a minimum of 25 years and six months.
Read the full story here - Jealous south east London man stabbed ex’s new boyfriend to death on bus.
Joseph Jimenez
In Elephant and Castle on July 31 last year a fight broke out between two groups of men.
During that fight one man, was struck over the head and fell to the floor.
Joseph Jimenez then stood over him and tried to slash him with a large knife.
A group of Metropolitan Police officers from the Gangs & Pro-Active Team in the Central South Command Unit were out socialising after work together at a bar and the officers rushed to the incident and separated the attacker from the victim.
Seeing the officers, Jimenez threw the knife at them and attempted to run away.
Having pleaded guilty to affray and possession of a bladed article, he was sentenced to eight month at a young offenders' institute.
Louey Baldwin
An investigation revealed that the organised crime gang had stolen more than £100,000 worth of bikes over a two-year period.
City of London Police detectives caught the gang after a bike was stolen in November 2020, and officers tracked it to a warehouse in east London.
A total of 57 bikes were recovered from the warehouse.
CCTV footage showed the bike thieves entering the warehouse on a daily basis and some of the defendants were seen on security footage dismantling the bikes.
Baldwin was seen on the footage to hand over angle grinders, a common tool used to steal bikes, to the thieves.
He was jailed for two years and nine months.
Read the full story - Orpington man was ‘mastermind’ behind bike theft gang which plagued London.
David Ogoe
David Ogoe, 34, of Bury Close in Rotherhithe, was jailed for county lines dealing.
He was was found guilty of two counts of being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.
An investigation into the ‘Buzz’ drug line in Norfolk revealed that Ogoe has been running the line.
Officers later found out he had ‘passed the line on’ to a 16-year-old.
Ogoe was arrested in April 2021 and charged with drug offences.
He was jailed for six years and seven months.
Lloyd Edwards
He entered a shop in the North Terminal and stole a wallet from a staff area.
He then went on a spending spree at a nearby shop.
Edwards admitted burglary of a commercial premises and was sentenced to eight months in prison.
Read the full story - South London man who stole wallet at Gatwick Airport jailed.
Christopher Mckenzie
Christopher Mckenzie, 37, of Pawsons Road in Croydon, has been jailed for ten years after officers found a variety of guns at his home.
At his home police found two handguns, (a Zoraki 914 handgun and a Colt .25 self-loading pistol), alongside two magazines, two rounds of ammunition, ballistic body armour and Class A drugs.
The illegal items were discovered in a bag he was carrying as officers confronted him at his door.
He had previously been jailed for selling firearms to undercover officers.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article