Jail for pair who killed ‘body disposal man’

Two killers who helped gunned down a convicted criminal after he assisted in the disposal of a jazz trumpeter’s body were jailed for eight and-a-half years each.

Musician William Algar, 53, was stabbed to death and his body was chopped up at his £1m house in Barnes, southwest London.

Janayo Lucima, 21, helped cover up the gruesome murder by purchasing bleach and J-cloths while his associates dumped the remains of the victim’s body.

Mr Algar, who once played trumpet with punk legends The Damned, was killed after his home was ‘cuckooed’ by a drug dealing gang.

Lucima was jailed for three years and three months for perverting the course of justice at the Old Bailey in 2021.

Months after his release from jail, Lucima was gunned down on his doorstep in Fulham by 18-year-old Mohamed Mansaray.

Syrian Khuder Al Kurdi, 22, had set up the ambush by making a phone call to Mr Lucima to get him to leave the house moments before he was shot dead.

Others accompanied Mansaray armed with large knives.

Pharrell Cowans and Isiah McQueen, both 19, admitted manslaughter, admitting assisting in planning an attack on a ‘rival drug dealer’ but claimed they did not know Mansaray had a gun.

They denied murder and their pleas were accepted by the prosecution.

Cowans fled to Morrocoo after the killing but returned weeks alter.

Judge Simon Mayo, KC, jailed them both for eight years and six months today (mon).

He said: ‘Janayo Lucima was shot dead on his doorstep.

‘Nothing I can say today can diminish the terrible loss suffered by Janayo Lucima’s family.

‘I bear fully in mind the profound and enduring impact his death has had upon those who love him.

‘You both played a part in events that led to the death of Janayo Lucima, although I accept neither of you knew Mansaray was carrying a firearm.

‘You each willingly joined a group that was travelling to commit serious violence whilst armed with large knives. The risk of someone being killed or very seriously injured ought to have been obvious to all those who participated.

‘You both have the capacity to mature, change and build productive and law abiding lives.’

Three members of Mr Lucima’s family were in court today.

Al Kurdi and Mansaray were earlier convicted of murder alongside Yusuf Abdi, 18, Issa Siteri, 18, Muktar Said, 22, and a 17-year-old.

The 17-year-old was previously given a prison sentence of 22 years, Siteri was jailed for 28 years, while Abdi was jailed for 28-and-a-half years.

Syed was given a 29 year jail sentence, Mansaray was sent to prison for 27 years, while Al Kurdi was jailed for 33 years.

In a letter to the court McQueen said: ‘I’m sorry for my choices, I’m sorry for the consequences of those choice and I will have to live with those responsibilities for the rest of my life.’

Cowans has a conviction for robbery when he was 14.

Brian St Louis, KC, representing Cowans, said: ‘He has had a sea change in his life. He is a person who it has been assessed is a victim of modern slavery.’

Alan Gardner, KC, prosecuting, earlier told jurors how Lucima was ‘killed by a single bullet fired into his chest at close range by a gunman who had been standing outside the house waiting for him to emerge.

‘They were there with the man who pulled the trigger to provide back up, support and encouragement to the gunman. All of them were participants in the murder of Janayo Lucima.

‘As was another man who was not at the scene but was nonetheless intimately involved with Mr Lucima’s murder: Khuder Al Kurdi, who remained at his home address a short distance away, we say from there he orchestrated events by phone.

‘Janayo Lucima was at 74 Comeragh Road, Baron’s Court when he was shot. He was lured out of that house and into the sights of the waiting gunman by a phone call from Khuder Al Kurdi.’

Lucima who was also known as ‘Chimz’ ran a drug supply line called the ‘‘Comeragh Road line’ from that flat.

Al Kurdi was also an active drug dealer who operated out of his home address on the Peabody Estate in Hammersmith.

Jurors were warned that they would watch ‘unpleasant’ domestic CCTV footage from the house opposite, which would show the gunman in position to fire just as Lucima emerged.

‘This was a planned and organised execution arising from disputes within the drugs trade.’ added Mr Gardner.

The handgun used to murder Lucima was never found by police, a court heard.

Mr Gardner said: ‘You will see Mr Lucima appear at the door in response to the call from Khuder Al Kurdi.

‘As soon as he emerged the gun was fired and he fell to the floor, fatally wounded. The other defendants, who had concealed themselves nearby, fled when they saw the job was done.’

Lucima knew Al Kurdi and Said and phone data shows that they had contact in the weeks before the shooting.

‘Many of these defendants were then able to flee the country in an attempt to evade the inevitable police investigation and cover their tracks. What motivated them to do so?’ asked Mr Gardner.

Lucima and Al Kurdi had been texting and trying to call each other in the days leading up to the shooting, a court heard.

‘Mr Gardner said: ‘Al Kurdi’s number had found its way onto the Comeragh Road drug line’s list. He therefore must have known that that line was operating and selling drugs.

‘At 10.05pm and 10.06pm Lucima made attempts to call Al Kurdi, which did not connect. A call at 2208 did connect for 16 seconds.

‘Their next contact would be on the evening of Monday 1st April, less than two hours before Janayo Lucima was shot dead.’

Al-Kurdi, of Hammersmith, Said, of Fulham, Mansaray. of Neasden, Siter, of Chelsea, Cowans of Harrow, Abdi of no fixed address, McQueen, of Edgware, and the 17-year-old who cannot be named, all denied murder.

Jurors had heard two other men at the scene of the killing fled to Libya and Somalia respectively and have not returned.

Mr Algar, known as Blaise, was killed in his home in Nowell Road, Barnes in December 2019.

Dawuda-Wodu, and Simon Emmons, 40, had considered dissolving his body in acid after watching it being attempted in the cult TV show ‘Breaking Bad.’

But the victim was hacked apart in his own bathtub and his arms and legs were buried in a shallow grave on a nature reserve.

The night after the body was dumped, Dawuda-Wodu, Emmons and Zimele Dube, 33, killed another dealer Ebrima Cham, 35, in front of his girlfriend at the victim’s Hounslow flat.

Dawuda-Wodu, and three others, carried out a third attack two weeks later on 3 January 2020, when Charlie Hirshman was stabbed in Barnes and left with life threatening injuries.

Dawuda-Wodu was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 31 years.

Emmons was jailed for life and a minimum of 31 and a half years.

Dube was locked up for life with a minimum of 28 years.
ends