Jail for the ‘body in the boot’ killers

Two killers have been jailed for a total of 28 years after they beat an associate to death, stripped him naked and dumped his corpse in a car boot.

The body of Justin Henry, 34, was left trussed up in bin bags in a Nissan Almera and left outside a block of flats in Purley.

It was found there after killer Lewis Benjamin, 31, told family members to get rid of the car in messages and phone calls from jail that were intercepted by the police.

Mr Henry was killed at a flat in Croydon, south London, after buying food at a McDonald’s drive-thru restaurant in nearby Thornton Heath.

Benjamin, 31, and his accomplice Jamal Ali-Richards, 29, were the last two people to have seen Mr Henry alive.

They stripped him naked and removed his jewellery before wrapping him in the bin bags and leaving him to die in the boot.

Justin Henry

The pair were cleared of murder but convicted of the lesser alternative charge of manslaughter by a jury at Woolwich Crown Court after a trial in April.

They were also convicted of perverting the course of justice.

Benjamin was jailed for a total of 20 years while Ali-Richards was locked up for a total of eight years and six months.

Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said police found Mr Henry’s body ‘wrapped in bin bags which were secured with rope and tape, and hidden under a duvet.

‘It was immediately apparent that he had been dead for some time.

‘When the boot was opened the smell of death was overpowering and the body had started to decompose.

‘Justin Henry had last been seen alive by anyone other than these two defendants some twenty-two days earlier, on 15 October 2023.

‘On that evening he left his girlfriend’s house at about eighteen minutes past nine, telling her that he was going home – but he never arrived.

‘Instead he went to the address of the first defendant, Lewis Benjamin who lived in a studio flat on the top floor of a communal house at 113 Waddon New Road in Croydon.

‘By the time that Justin Henry arrived at that address, the second defendant – Jamal Ali-Richards – was also there waiting for him together with Lewis Benjamin.

‘A CCTV camera outside the address captured Justin Henry walking towards the address at just before 10pm that evening.

‘He would not leave that house alive.

‘Instead, he was killed inside the flat, the prosecution say, by these two defendants acting together – who then still acting together set about removing his body and hiding the evidence of what they had done.

‘Not only did they take Justin Henry’s body and dump it in the boot of a car which was parked in Purley, but they stripped him naked and took his jewellery.

‘They drove his car away and parked it elsewhere and then they removed items from the flat including the mattress from the bed and the carpet from the floor, in an attempt to conceal what they had done.

‘But they didn’t quite succeed because Justin Henry’s blood was found in the flat and on a piece of carpet which had been left behind outside.

‘CCTV footage captured both Lewis Benjamin and Jamal Ali-Richards cleaning out the flat, and a trail of evidence links both men to the red Nissan Almera and the body within it.’

She continued: ‘When Justin Henry’s body was eventually found, a post-mortem examination of it was conducted.

‘Because of the degree to which the body had decompose, however, the pathologist carrying out the examination was unable to ascertain the precise cause of death.

‘Nevertheless there was no evidence that he had suddenly and unexpectedly succumbed to any natural diseases – and his body revealed evidence of what we call traumatic injury.

‘He suffered five rib fractures, all of which were caused before he died, probably as a result of a blow or blows inflicted on him as a stab, or kick, or possibly as a result of an unbroken and heavy fall to the ground.’

Ater leaving his girlfriend’s home on October 5 Mr Henry he stopped at the McDonald’s.

CCTV footage showed Mr Henry ‘in a good mood, laughing and chatting with the McDonald’s staff,’ Ms Heer said.

He was last seen on CCTV near Benjamin’s studio flat on October 15.

Just before 6am, the morning following Mr Henry’s disappearance, Benjamin searched ‘how to get away with murder.’

‘How To Get Away With Murder’ is a popular American television show, but it may be no coincidence that murder was on his mind at that time of the morning,’ the prosecutor said.

‘Internet history also showed he was looking for ‘pond liners’, ‘isolated garages’ and ‘used cars.’

She added that an email was found on Benjamin’s phone about the sale of the red Nissan Almera.

Benjamin’s fingerprint was found on one of the fake number-plates on the car.

He was arrested and remanded in HMP Thameside.

‘Telephone calls made by inmates at prison are routinely recorded, and in this case the police obtained the recordings made of Lewis Benjamin’s telephone calls,’ said Ms Heer.

‘It was clear he was anxious to get someone to move the red Nissan Almera which had been parked near Nicholas Court on Dale Road in Purley on 20 October.’

Benjamin asked his mother over the phone whether ‘biz’ and ‘clem’ had been in contact – Ms Heer said ‘biz’ referred to Ali-Richards and ‘Clem’ to his father Clement Benjamin.

Ms Heer said Benjamin then received a visit in prison from his brother Aaron and ‘passed his brother a note.’

Parts of the note included Benjamin writing ‘try to get it towed’ and ‘try to clear the boot.’

‘Police intercepted that note and his brother wasn’t able to take it away with him,’ said Ms Heer.

‘In a phone call later that day he told his brother if he got through to his dad, tell him we need to move it urgently.’

Police were then able to locate a red Nissan Almera in the exact place Benjamin had described in his note.

But Benjamin did not know that the body had been discovered and again told his dad to ‘let me know if my cars still there.’

Clement Benjamin was later seen by police ‘showing an interest in the car’ and then informs his son over the phone: ‘Too late man, cordoned off.’

Jurors were shown harrowing photographs of the victim lying dead in the fetal position in the boot of the Nissan.

Benjamin, of Waddon New Road, Croydon and Ali-Richards, of Thornlaw Road, Streatham Hill, both denied and were cleared of murder.

They were convicted of manslaughter and perverting the course of justice.

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Benjamin was sentenced to 14 years for manslaughter with six years consecutive for perverting the course of justice.

Ali-Richards was given five years and six months for manslaughter with three years consecutive for perverting the course of justice.

Mr Henry’s family said: ‘Justin was a kind, loving, and vibrant soul whose life was taken far too soon.

‘The pain of his disappearance and the unimaginable circumstances surrounding his death have left a void in our lives that can never be filled.

‘Since October 2023, we have endured an agonising wait for answers.

‘While we are grateful that justice has been served in part, and those responsible for Justin’s death have been held accountable, no verdict can ever bring him back to us or ease the sorrow we carry every day.’

Detective Chief Inspector Craig Magee of the Met’s Specialist Crime Team who led the investigation, said: ‘The deliberate actions taken by Benjamin and Ali-Richards to conceal their crime show a disturbing disregard for Justin’s life and the impact on those who loved him.

‘The sentences handed down today reflect the severity of their offences and the extensive efforts made to obstruct justice. This outcome is a direct result of the dedication and hard work of the investigation team.

‘Justin’s passing continues to have a long lasting and devastating impact on his family and friends. Throughout the investigation and trial, the strength and resilience shown by them has been extraordinary.

‘I hope that today’s verdict will provide an opportunity for them to begin to move forward.’