Murder victim ‘lured by woman in red dress’
The victim of a West End phone mugging died seven weeks after three thieves stamped on him and broke his ankle, a court heard.
Taba Errami, 22, was attacked after he was lured away from the busy streets by a woman wearing a red dress.
Malachi Wilson, 27, Devonta Rose, 21, and Dennis Kaantharasan, 26, allegedly assaulted Mr Errami near Shaftesbury Avenue on 1 June 2024.
Wilson then took his cigarettes and punched him, causing his phone to fall from his hand, it was said.
When Mr Errami asked for his phone back, Wilson told him to follow him up Shaftesbury Avenue to a shop.
Ms Khurshid then splashed Mr Errami with hand sanitiser before the Wilson, Rose, and Kaantharasan started stamping on him, it was claimed.
He suffered a broken ankle and made his way to St Thomas’ Hospital where he was fitted with an orthopaedic boot.
Over a month later, on 6 July, he lost conciousness and his heart stopped in front of passengers on a train from Slough to Paddington Station.
Mr Errami suffered a blood clot in his lungs and two days later a CT scan of his head showed widespread damage to his brain as a result of the lack of oxygen.
He was disconnected from the ventilator and died on 23 July.
Wilson, Rose and Kaantharasan deny manslaughter while Ms Khurshid is not before the court.
Prosecutor Caroline Carberry, KC, said: ‘On 1 June 2024, 22-year-old Taha Errami was injured during a violent incident in the West End.
‘Mr Errami approached a police constable and asked for his help. He told the officer that he had just been robbed and a woman whose name is Hafiza was also involved.
‘He said he had been talking to her before the assault. The men had “beaten him up” and “taken his phone”.
He pointed towards the Day and Nights Food and Drinks Store on Shaftesbury Avenue where Ms Khurshid had splashed him with hand sanitiser.
Ms Carberry said: ‘He was, it would seem, under the mistaken impression that all three defendants were together.
‘He said one of the men punched him to the floor and they all stepped and stamped on him. They then left together down Rupert Street, leaving him in the shop doorway where the assault had taken place.
‘As a result, he sustained a fractured ankle. Five weeks later, on 6 July 2024, Mr Errami suffered a cardiac arrest on a train travelling to Paddington Station.
‘The cardiac arrest was caused by a blood clot which had travelled from the site of the ankle injury to his lungs.
‘He died at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington hospital on 23 July when life support was withdrawn.
‘His assailants, during an episode of late-night, needless street violence, were these three defendants. Mr Errami did not know any of them.’
The prosecutor added: ‘This was initially Mr Wilson’s fight. For reasons best known to them, he and Miss Khurshid had tried to lure Mr Errami away from the busy West End streets.’
Following his arrest Wilson gave police a prepared statement in which he said a woman had approached him to say Mr Errami had been harassing her and her her phone.
Wilson claimed he had a scuffle with Mr Errami before two other men he did not know became involved in the fight.
He added: ‘I am shocked to hear that he died and truly sorry about this.’
Rose and Kaantharasan were interviewed and answered ‘no comment’ to all questions put to them,
Wilson, of Prout Grove, Brent, Rose, of Woodhouse Grove, Manor Park and Kaantharasan, of Godfrey Street, Stratford, all deny manslaughter.
The trial continues.
ENDS
