A 20-YEAR-OLD man has been found guilty today (Feb 5) at the Old Bailey of murdering student Adam Pervaiz in a Deptford stairwell.

Ahmed Mire, of Thurban Road, Catford, knifed 18-year old Mr Pervaiz in the leg at Shearwater Court, Abinger Grove, on May 7 last year.

It is believed that Mr Pervaiz bled to death in a matter of minutes due to his femoral artery being severed.

The trial heard how Mire had sought revenge against his victim after a previous fight with Pervaiz over jokes about his weight.

Mr Pervaiz was a student at Lewisham College and had expressed a desire to join the fire brigade.

Mire was arrested at Heathrow Airport on June 2 as he returned to the UK after fleeing the country and the following day he was charged with murder.

Mohammed Ali, Mire's uncle, was also convicted of assisting an offender.

He was arrested on May 8 after purchasing a plane ticket for his nephew to escape to Dubai.

Following Mr Pervaiz’s murder his mother Shazia said: “Adam Khan Pervaiz is not a number, he is not another statistic, he was my son, a great brother, a friend and he has been cruelly taken away from us.

“I will not see Adam's children, my grandchildren, for he did not have the opportunity to pass on his bloodline. The person that killed Adam has his blood on their hands."

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Rick Murphy, from Lewisham police, said: “This is another tragic example of an 18-year-old's life being cut short by the use of a knife and dying in tragic circumstances.

"My thoughts are with Adam's family and I hope that Adam's family can feel some justice has been done.”

Mire and Ali will be sentenced on March 5.