A murderer involved in bloody Somalian gang warfare on the streets of North London – leaving a fellow-countryman dying from multiple stab wounds – has been caged for life.
Ahmed Farah, 25, (pic.top) is the fifteenth person convicted in relation to the murder of 18 year-old Mahir 'Smiley' Osman (pic.bottom) who was attacked at a bus stop in Camden Road on January 28, 2006.
After Farah – who tried to flee to Canada – was ordered to serve a sixteen-year minimum Detective Chief Insepctor Steven Lawrence of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said:
”This is the 15th conviction in connection with the murder of Mahir in 2006.
“I hope it sends out a clear message to all those intent on violence that they will be held to account, no matter how long it takes to identify and capture those responsible.
“Farah was part of a group of men who went to Camden with the sole intention of attacking anyone belonging to an opposing rival group.
“It was a premeditated attack using a level of violence I have rarely seen.”
He is the fourth defendant to be convicted of murder.
Police were called after mechanical engineering student Osman, of Adelaide Road, Hampstead, was attacked at 10:40pm by up to forty suspects. He was pronounced dead four hours later.
Nineteen stab wounds punctured the back of his body alone, which ultimately proved fatal, and the gang were heard shouting: “Stab him through the heart, stab him dead through the heart.”
The group was seen earlier that evening arming themselves with bottles, knives, hammers and pieces of wood and were determined to settle a score with a rival Somalian group.
Osman was singled out because of his association with that group - Chalk Farm's Centric Boys - with his attackers made up of Tottenham-based North London Somalis (NLS).
He was present during a fight in the Eros nightclub, Edmonton six weeks earlier and a serious assault two days later, resulting in a friend’s arrest.
Thirty attackers piled onto a number 253 double-decker bus in a bid to escape, but were stopped by police.
Weapons – mostly kitchen knives – rained down from the open top-deck windows along with bottles as they tried to dump evidence.
Farah was eventually arrested at Heathrow Airport on July 20, last year, attempting to board a flight to Canada.
His fingerprints had been found on three knives seized form the bus and CCTV showed him armed with a large kitchen knife, striking out at the victim.
Chief Inspector Louis Smith, of Camden Borough said:
”Since Mahir's murder, our work in preventing and reducing levels of youth violence has increased significantly, as have the efforts of partners, notably Camden Council.
”The Youth Engagement Team has been a key part of that work, as has the use of anti-social behaviour legislation led by the ASB team.
“Youth Disorder Engagement Workers from the Council work hand in glove with police officers, conducting home visits, engaging in diversionary work, including the whole family of some troubled young people in finding ways out of seemingly impossible situations.
“Along with the engagement has been enforcement, policing youth violence off the streets, targeting drug dealing which supports gang activity and progressing offences through CCTV evidence whether anyone has come forward as a victim or not.
“We will help those involved to get out of this cycle of youth crime and disorder and keep trying to help, but if that help is disregarded, we will do whatever we can to end the violence.”
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