A man has been jailed for life for the murder Bilal Kargo in Peckham, who was stabbed to death in Blenheim Grove in April.
Parrish Ofoeme, 23, of Burrage Road in Greenwich, was found guilty today for 25-year-old Mr Kargbo’s death, and for possession of an offensive weapon.
On April 28, at about 3:15pm, Ofoeme stabbed Mr Kargbo three times during a fight, which drew large crowds of people who filmed it on their phones.
Mr Kargbo, a father of three, had gone to a mobile phone shop on the junction between Rye Lane and Blenheim Grove with a friend who needed his phone repaired.
During a two-week trial at Inner London Crown Court, it was stated that a row erupted between them over perceived disrespect, and who may have been staring at whom.
Police officers gave emergency first-aid before paramedics arrived, but Mr Kargbo was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:51pm.
Detectives identified Ofoeme through eyewitness accounts and phone records.
He was arrested at a relative’s address in Enfield on May 1, and was charged with murder three days later.
Ofoeme claimed self-defence, and insisted he had taken the knife from the Mr Kargbo during the fight. Eventually he was forced to admit that the knife belonged to him, and that he carried it “for his own protection” after a previous, unrelated attack on a relative.
Ofoeme was sentenced the same day to life imprisonment, with a minimum of 21 years behind bars. He was also given a two-year sentence (to run concurrently) for possessing the knife.
Following the guilty conviction, detective sergeant Jason Grafham, of the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “As a result of his habitual carrying of a knife, Parrish Ofoeme stabbed Bilal to death following a pathetic argument about ‘respect’.
“This took place in a busy London street in front of children, local shoppers and worshippers leaving a local mosque. It has had a devastating impact upon the victim’s family, including his children who have lost their father.
“I want to make it clear that we will pursue not only those who commit such heinous crimes, but also those who choose to carry weapons. You will be found, you will be arrested and you will be held to account.”