Teenage Moped Robbers Jailed For Killing Charity Worker During Spree Of Violence

Four other people were also stabbed, but survived.
Abdul Samad was murdered for his iPhone.
Abdul Samad was murdered for his iPhone.
Metropolitan Police

Two teenage moped riders who stabbed a charity youth worker to death in a four-hour spree of violence have each been jailed for more than 20 years.

The Old Bailey heard Nathan Gilmaney, 19, and Troy Thomas, 18, tried to rob as many people as possible, leaving a trail of destruction on 16 October last year.

They killed 28-year-old charity youth worker Abdul Samad for his iPhone as they swept across west London on a scooter.

The court heard how Samad had handed over his phone and the pair had driven off only to do a U-turn in the street when they realised they needed the mobile’s pin number.

CCTV footage shows Abdul giving them the code and also handing over his wallet, but Gilmaney then lunged towards him, stabbing him in the chest.

Samad managed to stagger the short distance to his home and collapsed on the doorstep. He was found by his parents. Despite the efforts of paramedics, he died a short while later from a wound to the heart.

The judge, Richard Marks QC, said: “Abdul Samad was an outstanding young man in his 20s, engaged to be married and had his whole life ahead of him.

“Your wicked stabbing of him has left his family understandably utterly devastated.”

On the same night, Gilmaney stabbed four other victims, who all survived, and admitted that he attacked one man because he was angry he had tried to run away.

Thomas and Gilmaney were arrested following a police chase, their pockets stuffed with stolen valuables. Thomas admitted robbing the victims but denied responsibility for the violence, while Gilmaney pleaded guilty to the robberies and violence.

The pair, from Maida Vale, west London, were found guilty of murder.

Michael Turner QC, representing Thomas, said he was acting as a getaway driver and had “no intention to kill”.

“He was not the wielder of any weapon,” he added.

Gilmaney’s barrister, Dexter Dias QC, said the teenager had ADHD and an IQ of “barely 60”, as well as a number of previous convictions, including robbery and drugs offences.

Thomas had multiple convictions for other offences and was on bail at the time of the robberies.

In a victim impact statement Samad’s mother, Layla Begum, said: “The death of my son has absolutely broken my husband, my eldest son, my entire family and me.

“Since his death there has not been a single moment that goes by for me without shedding tears.”

His girlfriend, Sultana Ahmed, said it still felt like a nightmare.

“Every time I close my eyes I remember his laughter, his infectious smile and I cry because I remember the day I went to the mortuary to see him and how my world shattered,” she added.

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