Murder at the YMCA

A knifeman stabbed an angler to death in his bedroom at a YMCA hostel, a court heard.

Paul Dalton, 41, was repeatedly knifed by Mongo Boliliat, 34, another resident at on The Broadway, Wimbledon.

Mr Dalton bled to death after being stabbed to the left thigh.

Alleged accomplices Ian Matu, 28, and Danny Webster, 31, deliberately concealed the knife used in the killing, the court heard.

Mr Dalton, a keen fisherman, is said to have entered his friend’s hostel room at around half past midnight before the accused knifeman arrived moments later.

Prosecutor Anthony Orchard said: ‘On Wednesday 13th January 2021 shortly before 1am in the morning, police were called to Room 503 at the YMCA in the Broadway, Wimbledon.

‘When police arrived, they found the resident of another room, room 719, a man called Paul Dalton collapsed.

‘He had been stabbed several times. The principal wound was to the upper part of his left leg. There was significant blood loss.’

Paramedics attended the scene, but Mr Dalton was pronounced dead at 1.55am that morning.

A police investigation established Bolili as a suspect and he was arrested on 13 January along with the occupant of room 503, Philip Noon.

Bolili, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, blamed Mr Noon, 55, for the stabbing in his police interview.

But Mr Orchard said Bolili’s account appears to be ‘at odds’ with evidence from eyewitnesses and the CCTV. Mr Noon was interviewed but later released and will give evidence during the trial.

That evening, Mr Noon had been drinking with Mr Dalton.

Another resident, Nigel Duncan, had borrowed a pot from Bolili to cook pasta on the evening of 12th January 2021.

He went downstairs to return it and walked past Mr Noon’s room on the way – where he spotted him talking to Mr Dalton.

Mr Dalton was sitting on a ‘large fishing seat’ and ‘using [Mr Noon’s] phone to call his own phone which he had apparently mislaid’, said Mr Orchard.

Mr Duncan asked Mr Dalton for some tobacco, but he reacted angrily.

Mr Orchard said: ‘Mr Duncan thought Mr Dalton reacted angrily because he was sick of people asking him for tobacco and had mislaid his phone.

‘It certainly appears Mr Dalton was in a bad mood.

‘Mr Dalton stormed out of the room and turned left to walk along the corridor to the lift doors.

‘As Mr Dalton came through the double doors, he kicked them open and he banged on the lift doors.’

He then got into the lift. Shortly after, CCTV shows Mr Duncan passing the cooking pot through Bolili’s door.

Mr Orchard continued: ‘What was actually happening is Mr Dalton was going up in the lift to his own room on the 7th floor.

‘Whilst he was doing that, Mr Duncan had gone into toilet and heard Bolili open the door and shout “Dalton are you there”.

‘This is the first point that evening when there is some kind of linkage between the defendant, Bolili, and the deceased, Mr Dalton.

After that, CCTV shows Bolili going up and down the hostel in the lift.

‘The prosecution case is, quite clearly, he is looking for Mr Dalton but they will keep on missing each other for a short period,’ said Mr Orchard.

‘He looked around the YMCA, walked upstairs to the 7th floor and is now knocking on Mr Dalton’s room.’

There was no answer, so Bolili continued on his search.

Mr Orchard said: ‘Mr Bolili went to his own room…he left about 27 secs later.

‘He goes through the double doors. He reaches Mr Noon’s room, room 503. He pushes against the door and enters room 503 and the time now is about 00.37.56.

‘While he is in there, about 17 secs after having entered the room…the occupant of a room two along from 503 sticks his head out of his own room and looks along the corridor meaning his attention has been drawn to something.

‘Bolili was inside the room for 1 minute 35 seconds.

‘It’s the prosecution case that the stabbing takes place during that time.’

Webster and Matu are said to have stuffed the knife into the air vent above a toilet cubicle at the charity hostel.

Mr Orchard added: ‘It had been given to the second defendant, Ian Matu, by Bolili immediately after the stabbing.

‘Matu persuaded Danny Webster to help him hide it in the 6th Floor toilet area. The movements of Bolili, Mata and Webster is largely captured on CCTV.’

The trio are all from Merton, south west London. Bolili denies murder while Matu and Webster both deny one charge of perverting the course of justice.

The trial continues.