Nigerian Emmanuel Odunlami, a music industry manager was stabbed to death for a designer watch which his assailants thought was worth £300,000, but may have been fake, a court was told.
Emmanuel Odunlami, 32, had been out celebrating his birthday near St Paul’s Cathedral in London when he was targeted by three robbers on May 1 last year, the Old Bailey heard.
The gang were allegedly tipped off about the watch by a security guard who had been hired for an event at the Haz restaurant Mr Odunlami visited that night.
The security operator, Kavindu Hettiarachchi – who was later found to have a collection of fake high-value watches at his home – told the attackers that the victim was wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch which, if real, was worth between £90,000 and £300,000, a trial heard.
Mr Hettiarachchi, 30, from Harrow, is on trial charged with participation in the robbery and manslaughter, alongside the alleged attackers: Louis Vandrose, Jordell Menzies and Quincy Ffrench. Mr Hettiarachchi denies the allegations.
Vandrose, 26, from Thornton Heath, Menzies, 26, from Kilburn, and Ffrench, 27, from Tottenham, have pleaded guilty to robbery and Menzies has also pleaded guilty to manslaughter. They deny murder.
The victim, known to friends as Jay, worked in the music industry managing a number of performing artists.
On the day of his death, he had driven to the City of London in his grey hatchback Mercedes to celebrate his birthday with friends, having organised tickets for a £1,400 table.
Duncan Atkinson KC told the Old Bailey: “Sadly, as it was to turn out, he liked expensive brand watches. At the time when he was fatally attacked, he was wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch.
“If real, such a watch could be worth anything in a range from £90,000 to £300,000.
“It is believed the deceased’s watch may not have been genuine, but was treated as genuine by those who sought to take it.”
As the event drew to a close at around 11pm, Mr Hettiarachchi was caught on camera filming outside the venue and calling Mr Vandrose, the court was told.
Mr Vandrose and Mr Menzies were then driven by Mr Ffrench in a white Mercedes with altered number plates from north-west London, the court heard.
Jurors were told the security operator had filmed the victim and his “high-value” watch and then appeared to type something into his phone.
Emmanuel Odunlami was then ambushed by Mr Menzies, Mr Vandrose and Mr Ffrench, who kicked him to the floor and inflicted a fatal stab wound with a flick knife, the prosecutor told the court.
Mr Ffrench was then seen on CCTV bending down and grabbing the watch, and audio on the footage captured him shouting “got it”, the court heard.
Mr Atkinson told the jury that Mr Odunlami tried to stand up after the attack, which was witnessed by his friend, David Manuel.
The prosecutor said: “The deceased got up, but had sustained a single stab wound to his heart, and he soon collapsed on the pavement.
“As he did so he said to his friend, Mr Manuel, ‘I’m gone’.”
Members of the public tried to save Mr Odunlami but he was pronounced dead at the Royal London Hospital just after midnight on May 2 2022.
A fifth defendant, Antonios Kfoury, 21, is accused of perverting the course of justice by lying to police about his friends’ alleged crime and encouraging others to do the same.
The trial continues.
Culled from: Telegraph.co.uk
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