Police could not save the victim whose manslaughter the men are convicted of. Pic: Tony Webster.

Three men, convicted with the manslaughter of a young father in a botched drugs deal, will be sentenced today.

Bromley property developer Ayfon Saint-Hilaire, 22, was fatally stabbed in July of last year during a clash with a gang on Old Bromley Road, Downham, during a cannabis deal gone wrong.

Lance Sloley, 23, from Thornton Heath, Shyheim Green, 20, from South Croydon, and Jordache Smith-Challis, 20, of Brighton, were convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob by an Old Bailey jury yesterday. They were all cleared of murder.

Saint-Hilaire, who traded cannabis on the side of his other occupations, had driven to what he expected to be a quiet deal when things became violence, the court heard.

He left his cousin, Mickyle Bromfield, in his Mercedes Coupe as he approached dealers who waited in a Ford Focus.

Prosecutor Dorian Lovell-Pank told the court: “”Things were not quite what they seemed because some of the men had other ideas, namely to rob the dealers of their cannabis”.

“[Saint-Hilaire] had the two and a quarter ounces of cannabis with him and the money was being counted up and just at that moment three men appeared on the scene.”

“In the road there was some kind of struggle, and whilst the struggle was going on, Bromfield [Saint-Hilaire’s cousin] got out of the Mercedes where he had been the passenger holding a gun, which he fired.”

“At that moment Afyon and Bromfield got into the Mercedes and drove off. Afyon had been injured, he had been stabbed in his leg just above the knee and not far down the road he crashed.”

Despite managing to escape the altercation in his vehicle, Saint-Hilaire bled to death having suffered a stab wound to the leg. The victim’s death was due to loss of blood, not due the crash, which was not serious, police confirmed.

Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after the incident, but were unable to save the young dad-of-one.

Following the Old Bailey jury’s deliberation yesterday, which lasted almost 28 hours, Sloley, Green and Smith-Challis were convicted of his manslaughter. It is not known which individual carried out the stabbing.

Bromfield, 24, of no fixed abode, was also found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Additional suspects Marcus El-Alfy, 18 of Vincent Close, Bromley, and Vishal Deowram, 18, from Thornton Heath were cleared of all charges.

Mr Justice Gordon will sentence the convicted men today.