‘I had nothing to do with murder of millionairess’
A Syrian chef accused of murdering a millionaire when she refused to hand over her property portfolio to him will not offer any explanation to a jury.
Kusai Al-Jundi, 28, is accused of being a ‘Walter Mitty’ character who tried to rip off Louise Kam, 71, after offering her £6 million he did not have for her house and block of flats.
Mrs Kam, 71, drove her black 3 Series BMW convertible to her house on Gallants Farm Road, East Barnet, thinking a lawyer would be there to finalise arrangements with the pair on July 26 last year.
She would never leave alive.
Together with Mohammed El-Abboud, 24, Al-Jundi strangled her to death with a hairdryer flex, it is claimed.
Her body was found in a bin three days later outside Al-Jundi’s home in Wood End Road, Harrow, the Old Bailey has heard.
His barrister Martin Rutherford told the court today he was offering no evidence at all on behalf of Al-Jundi.
It means Al-Jundi will not take the witness stand.
Mr Rutherford confirmed he had warned his his client that the jury were entitled to think poorly of Al Jundi for not giving any explanations.
The court has heard how Al-Jundi told another woman that he would give her £57,000 for her Audi TT and a Toyota Rav 4.
He had also declared his undying love for Anna Reich, who was in her sixties, but once the cars were handed over she never saw a penny of her money.
Al-Jundi had been promising Mrs Kam he would buy the house on Gallants Farm Road together with the three flats and a shop she owned in Willesden High Road in the multi-million pound deal.
He told Mrs Kam he was being backed by Ms Reich – and tried to trick Ms Reich to come to meetings pretending that he needed her to help translate.
El-Abboud admits that he was at the house when Mrs Kam arrived – but in a so called ‘cut throat defence’ his lawyer Giles Trembath claims he was in another room asleep when Al-Jundi murdered her.
In police interviews, Romanian El-Abboud said he had only been in the country a couple of months when he became involved with Al-Jundi.
He did not have permission to work in the UK but had been employed as a Deliveroo driver and in a Disney warehouse.
El-Abboud then went on to work for Al-Jundi at the Yasmeen Shamin restaurant on Willesden High Road near to Mrs Kam’s flats.
The chef managed to persuade Mrs Kam to allow Al-Jundi to move into the house Gallants Farm Road and he was living there when she died.
He said of Al-Jundi: ‘I would do anything he wanted’ but he was never asked to do anything he could not do.’
But he said he was not being threatened by Al-Jundi
El-Abboud insisted to police he had nothing to do with the killing of Mrs Kam and had no idea what happened to her.
He is said to have confessed to Al-Jundi’s girlfriend, model Maria Amariucai and told her: ‘I can’t really believe that he had killed that lady.’
El-Abboud said the confession was ‘not true.’
Al-Jundi, of Wood End Road, Harrow, and El-Abboud, whose last address was Gallants Farm Road, Barnet, both deny Ms Kam’s murder.
The trial was adjourned until January 9.
