Four convicted in relation to death of Luton man

Two men and two women who planned to drug and rob a man after they saw him wearing Rolex watches on social media have been convicted for their part in his death.

Ikem Affia, Cleon Brown, Surpreet Dhillon and Temidayo Awe have all been found guilty of the part they played in the death of 33-year-old Saul Murray, after his body was discovered at an address in New Town Street, Luton in the early hours of Sunday, February 27, 2022. 

Police and the ambulance service arrived at the scene shortly after 5am, but Mr Murray had already died from his injuries. 

A post-mortem examination revealed that Mr Murray had died from blood loss caused by a knife wound.

During the 10-week trial, the court heard how the visit to Mr Murray's flat in Luton was planned as the four had intended to steal items from him that they believed to be of high value.

Dhillon had initially contacted Mr Murray via Instagram after he had posted pictures of himself wearing two Rolex watches.

They continued the conversation on WhatsApp before agreeing to meet up.

CCTV recovered from the address several hours before Mr Murray was found showed that two women had entered the flat with the victim just before 11.40pm.

One of the women left shortly before 230am, whilst the other propped the communal door open with a broom. 

The first woman returned to the flat around 25 minutes later, with two men.

The two women left together around 20 minutes later, with the two men not far behind. It is clear on the footage that one of the men was carrying a large knife.

Mr Murray was then seen running towards the door before he lost consciousness and collapsed.

Detectives from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit successfully identified Dhillon and Awe from the CCTV.

Additional footage confirmed that a Mercedes Benz which was seen acting suspiciously in the vicinity of Mr Murray's flat had been hired by Brown, whilst fast track forensics linked a glass left at the scene to Dhillon.

Brown, Dhillon and Awe were all arrested and subsequently charged with murder.

While enquiries were ongoing to identify the fourth suspect, CCTV from a fast-food restaurant in London showed Brown with a man believed to be Ikem Affia wearing a distinctive designer coat, with the same garment seen at the scene of the incident.

Information from the coat manufacturer revealed that one of these coats had been sold to Affia's partner.

This, along with data which placed Brown's hired Mercedes Benz at Affia's home address before and after Mr Murray's death, led to his arrest. 

Affia was also charged with murder and possessing a knife blade in a public place.

All four were today (Tuesday) convicted for their involvement in the incident and will be sentenced on Friday, March 3:

Ikem Affia, 31, of Shore Place, London was found guilty of murder, possession of a bladed article and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Cleon Brown, 29, of King Edwards Road, South Hackney was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Surpreet Dhillon, 36, of Carnarvon Road, London was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Temidayo Awe, 21, of Saunders Street, Gillingham was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Detective Inspector Dale Mepstead, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: "This alarming act of violence resulted in Mr Murray losing his life in the most horrific way. 

"All four had planned to rob Mr Murray of any expensive belongings he may have had, and had agreed to use force and threats, as well as the use of a sedative substance – in this case GHB that the women used on Mr Murray – to get what they wanted.

"Not only was the attack on him brutal, but all four left him alone to die from his injuries.

"This was a very complex investigation that involved a lot of CCTV and phone work to identify the rightful suspects and I am pleased that all four have been found guilty of the part they each played in Mr Murray's death."

This verdict comes not long after Bedfordshire Police urged people to 'bin their blade' during a proactive week of action against knife crime.

More than 4,000 knives and blades have been recovered from the 11 weapons bins located across Bedfordshire so far this year.