Teenager guilty of murdering man who was 'turning his life around' after prison release

Chloe Chaplain11 August 2016
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The step-father of murdered Ade Afariogun said his son was turning his life around before his death "snatched" him away, as a jury found his teenage attacker guilty.

Mr Afariogun’s step-dad, Kay Oluwa, said his son had completed qualifications and was due to start a new job just days after he was stabbed to death by Kaleb Amponsah.

Amponsah, aged 18, was today found guilty of murdering 27-year-old Mr Afariogun after knifing him in the stomach in an east London park.

In a family witness statement, Mr Oluwa, wrote: "Ade was a great big brother to my two younger boys.

The victim, Ade Afariogun 
Metropolitan Police

"He had committed crimes but he had done his time and was moving forward with his life. He has been snatched away from us and for what?"

Mr Oluwa said his son had been imprisoned for “horrible crimes” but that he had used his time in prison to study and focus on his career, after telling his parents he wanted to “change his life”.

He added: “He was due to start work the Monday after he was killed. I can never explain to you what it is like as a family to receive a call like the one that we got on January 29 and I truly hope none of you ever have to experience it.

"My wife has been emotionally destroyed; she cannot process what has happened and we can’t talk to each other about it.

Brutal murder: Kaleb Amponsah stabbed the victim twice in the stomach 
Metropolitan Police

"The strain on our marriage as a result is huge. Neither of us are emotionally strong enough to cope and this trial has been devastating and placed a new cloud over us.

"My younger two sons are numb, upset and angry all in one. I have had to be strong for them but I am finding it hard.

"We may never know the true reason but I do know that Kaleb Amponsah has shown no remorse, shows no understanding of what he has done to our family and is a danger if he can kill someone over something so minor as a wrong look."

Mr Amponsah of Robertson Road, Newham, approached the victim on Friday, January 29 as he left Plaistow Park with three friends.

Plaistow Park: The victim was in the east London park with friends when he was stabbed 
Google Maps

Amponsah started an argument and the two men got into a fight.

Friends tried to break up the men but Amponsah produced a knife from his waistband and stabbed the victim twice in the stomach.

Amponsah then fled the scene, leaving the victim bleeding to death on the ground, and hid the knife in his mattress.

The attack was so brutal that Mr Afariogun was left with a 12cm wound in his abdomen.

He was rushed to hospital in a coma and underwent multiple operations, but died three days later.

On February 5, Amponsah was arrested at his home.

Detective Sergeant Perry Benton said: "Five months after the original charge, Amponsah admitted being responsible for the fatal stabbing but claimed he had acted in self-defence after the victim attacked him.

"Thankfully the jury saw through this unlikely scenario, recognising this for the needless and cold-blooded murder it was.

"The park where this took place is well used by a wide range of borough residents and the local community should feel reassured that this type of attack is an extremely rare occurrence.

"Ade was in the park with friends when he was killed for reasons that we have been unable to ascertain. He was well loved by his family and friends, who miss him very much."

Amponsah will be sentenced at the Old Bailey in the week commencing August 15.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in