Accused Camden double killer at the Old Bailey

A teenager accused of stabbing two young men to death in a knife rampage across Camden was remanded in custody today.

Isaiah Popoola, 18, is alleged to have murdered 17-year-old Abdikarim Hassan and Sadiq Aadam Mohammed, 20, during the night of February 20.

Popoola is also accused of knifing a 17-year-old and trying to wound Yusuf Ahmed, 24, earlier in the same evening.

All four victims were Somali men.

Mr Mohamed, an aspiring accountant, died from his injuries after being discovered in Malden Road, Camden, at around 10.15pm.

Mr Hassan was found with knife wounds in Bartholomew Road and died at the scene.

The alleged attacks are all said to have taken place in under two-and-a-half hours within a two mile radius in Camden.

Their deaths took the number of fatal stabbings in the capital since the turn of the year to 15 after yet another night of carnage on the streets of London.

There were a total of 80 in 2017 – the most in almost a decade.

The Recorder of London, Judge Nicholas Hilliard, QC, remanded Popoola in custody ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing on 16 May and a provisional trial date of 16 July.

Mr Hassan, a business student at Westminster College, was the eldest child of six and a keen footballer who supported Manchester United.

A post-mortem examination revealed his cause of death was a stab wound to the chest.

His uncle Yusuf Ahmed said: ‘He was always smiling. He helped his mum all the time – whenever he was off from college he was taking his siblings to school.’

Mr Mohamed was studying business at Middlesex University and worked part-time at Tesco.

He hoped to become a City accountant.

Popoola, of Grafton Way, Fitzrovia, is charged with two counts of murder, grievous bodily harm on the 17-year-old and attempted GBH on Mr Ahmed.

Wearing a green and yellow tracksuit and with short black hair, he spoke only to confirm his name when he appeared at the Old Bailey via video-link.

He was remanded in custody ahead of a plea hearing on 16 May and an estimated three week trial beginning 16 July.

After the stabbings last week police had put a section 60 notice in place after the attacks, giving officers powers of stop and search without suspicion.
ends