Man, 32, stabbed to death by someone 'he thought was his friend’ in argument about debt money - as killer jailed
A man who stabbed a 32-year-old to death over a debt has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years, police said.
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Fawaz Abdulkareem, 36, fatally stabbed Daniel Manuel at his flat on Bondway, Vauxhall, on July 5 last year, the Metropolitan Police said after his sentencing on Friday.
Mr Manuel and Abdulkareem had spent the evening at a nightclub, returning with a group of friends to Abdulkareem’s flat in the early hours of the morning.
It was after an argument about money that Mr Manuel was stabbed three times with a kitchen knife, the force added.
Following the attack, Abdulkareem left the flat with the knife still in the waistband of his trousers, taking his T-shirt off and using it to disguise the weapon when he reported Mr Manuel’s injuries to staff in the communal lobby, the Met said.
When Abdulkareem realised emergency services were on their way, he tried to dispose of the blade out the window on the 14th floor, but one of the responding officers noticed Mr Manuel’s blood on his clothing and arrested him at the scene.
Abdulkareem alleged that he had acted in self-defence, but the nature of Mr Manuel’s injuries suggested he had most likely been stabbed while his back was turned, police said.
'Shattered my world'
Mr Manuel’s wife, Zulal, said: “Daniel was not just my husband, he was my partner, my home, my emotional safety and the person I built my entire life around.
“Losing him in such a violent and sudden way has completely shattered my world.
“This loss has affected every part of my life, emotionally, physically, financially and I am still trying to survive the aftermath of it.”
'Extreme violence'
Detective Inspector Luke Hampton, who led the Met investigation, said: “Daniel was murdered in a moment of extreme violence by a man he thought was his friend.
“Abdulkareem tried to deceive police, recklessly throwing the murder weapon from the window of the 14th floor of a tower block and cruelly claiming it was Daniel who had attacked him.
“Met detectives saw through his lies and worked hard to secure a conviction. Abdulkareem’s claims of self-defence were dismissed by the jury.
“Our thoughts remain with Daniel’s family and hope this sentence gives them a degree of peace.”
Abdulkareem, of Bondway, Southwark, was unanimously convicted of murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place at Croydon Crown Court on May 21, police said.
He was sentenced on Friday to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 17 years, the force added.