Photo: Tony Webster

A human rights lawyer who was stabbed to death at his Lewisham home is suspected to have been murdered for his political views.

Police today issued an appeal for information about the killing of AbdelSalam Hussain, 56, who was found murdered at his home in Boone Street, Lee on Saturday.

At about 7.10 am, a neighbour noticed Mr. Abdel Salam’s front door was open and discovered his body just inside. He had been slashed across the face and stabbed in the leg. Emergency services were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A post mortem examination gave the cause of death as severe blood loss.

Mr. Abdel Salam, who was originally from Sudan before becoming a British national, worked for international human rights organisation Redress as the Sudan adviser, helping victims of torture.

He had also worked for the charities Human Rights Watch and Justice Africa, who have paid tribute to him and describe him as, “a guiding light of Sudan’s human rights movement”.

Colleagues said today they feared there was a political motive behind the attack. Lutz Orzette, 43, a project adviser at Redree, said: “He was very well known in the field of human rights. Some people think there is a political motive. There have been threats against a number of Sudanese human rights campaigners.”

Police say there is no intelligence the lawyer was targeted because of his human rights work but could not rule out the possibility.  Detective Chief Inspector Damian Allain, of the Metropolitan Police’s homicide and serious crime command said: “We have a number of lines of inquiry and we believe it is linked locally. “I am keen to trace Abdel Salam’s movements and appeal for anyone with information to come forward to assist my teal with this investigation.

Abdel Salam was a large man, who used two sticks to walk as he had some difficulty. He would travel by minicab or bus to take him to the charity where he worked in central London, and many people would have seen him on his route.”

DCI Allain added: “This was a brutal attack on a defenseless man, made more tragic, as Abdel Slam had devoted much of his life combating the abuse of human rights upon others.”

Anyone with information can contact Crimestoppers, on 0800 555111.

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Photo:Metropolitan Police

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Photo: Metropolitan Police CCTV images

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Police have issued a new appeal for witnesses and information in the hunt for the killer of a man who was murdered in South Norwood on Valentine’s Day.

 Mark Corcoran, 26, died at Subitha Food and Wine shop on Whitehorse Lane, near Crystal Palace FC ground, Selhurst Park.

 It is believed Mr. Corcoran, from Croydon, was stabbed within 100 yards of the shop at about 8.20pm before staggering there for help.  Emergency services were called but Mr. Corcoran was pronounced dead at the scene.

 The murder investigation is headed by Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons, from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command in Lewisham.

 DCI Lyons said: “We know that Mr. Corcoran attended a wedding on Valentine’s Day and we are appealing for anyone who has knowledge of his attendance at this wedding or his movements throughout the day to come forward.

“We would also like to hear from anyone who was in the area of the Crystal Palace football ground, particularly after 7.30pm, who may have seen or heard anything.”

At this stage the police are keeping an open mind regarding any motive for the assault.

 Initial enquiries led to the arrest of a man in his forties two days after the killing.  He has been released on police bail until mid-March.

 Three potential witnesses who are visible in CCTV footage from the shop have also been traced after an appeal last week.

 Anyone with information should call police on 020 8721 4961, or can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Kobina Essel, convicted for Matalan murder

A teenager has been found guilty  at the Old Bailey of murdering the manager of a Matalan store in Dalston.

Kobina Essel, 19, stabbed store manager Jamie Simpson at the shop in March 2008 during a failed robbery with six other men.

Essel admitted stabbing his victim in the neck but claimed he reacted out of ‘panic’ after Mr Simpson, 33, grabbed him as he tried to prevent the crime.

Three other men were found guilty of manslaughter  in connection with Mr. Simpson’s murder: Anthony Maina, 20, Randy Osei-Owusu, 17, and Simeon Jumah, 25.

Maina, who played a critical role in the robbery was on bail for murder at the time of the killing. Five months earlier he had stabbed an A-level student to death for a mobile phone.

Essel and his fellow gang members lay in wait for Mr Simpson at the end of the day with the intention of stealing the shop’s weekend takings of an estimated £20,000 to £30,000.

Last week, the other gang members, Roy Williams, 31 and Jamal Chambers, 18, were convicted of conspiracy to rob along with Duane Owusu, 20, their getaway driver.

Investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command of the Metropolitan Police, said: “Today, following a long and complex investigation, seven defendants have been convicted.”

She continued: “Jamie was a good man who was simply going about his job as a store manager at Matalan, Hackney when he was fatally stabbed. He lost his life because the defendants, who each played their various parts, had devised a plan to steal the store’s takings.”

All seven men have been remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month.

Mr Simpson’s mother, Lorna Simpson, said: “For anyone who takes the life of another person, then all I can say is that they are scum.”

She added: “If you are killed on a battlefield it is a different thing, but when you are going to work and you are doing your job you don’t expect to be killed. For those who are already in the knife culture or the gang culture the justice system has to lead to a stronger deterrent.”

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