Personal trainer jailed for murder at bookies

A personal trainer was jailed for a minimum of 25 years yesterday for killing a man in a bookies after his car was stolen.

Dagazau Ali, 23, was found guilty on Thursday of murdering Jerry Iyiku, 22, who was stabbed three times on July 19, last year. Ali, of no fixed address, was jailed for life at the Old Bailey.

The court was told Mr Iyiku died within seconds of a mob cornering him at a branch of E Coomes in Peckham, south London.

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Ali was the knifeman and was caught wielding it on CCTV. Two months earlier, Mr Iyiku was seen driving off in Ali’s Ford Focus after rowing with him.

The car was later found burnt out and Ali called a group of eight friends when Mr Iyiku was seen at the bookies. Prosecutor Max Hill QC said: “Jerry Iyiku, having been cornered, was subjected to a ferocious attack, including one or more knives, during which he suffered three stab wounds, one of which penetrated his heart.

“His injuries were unsurvivable and he died where he lay on the floor of the bookmakers.”

Ann Cotcher QC, for Ali, said the father-of-two was studying at university and everyone who knew him was shocked by what had happened.

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She said: “He had a beef but the result of his response was tragic.”

Olamide Akanbi, 19, Olarenwaje Akanbi, 18, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named were found not guilty of murder and conspiracy to cause GBH with intent.

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