Man Guilty Of 1997 Murder, Islington

    A man who fled to the US after committing a brutal murder almost two decades ago has finally been brought to justice.

    Foyjur Rahman, 44 of no fixed address, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of the murder of takeaway delivery man Abdus Samad in 1997.

    He was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years at the same court this afternoon.

    Mr Samad suffered horrific injuries after being attacked with weapons including a machete, meat cleaver and baseball bat in the attack in Islington

    Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Nick Miller, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "It has taken many years but I am very pleased that a jury convicted Rahman for his part in this violent murder.

    "Mr Samad's family have never given up hope of seeing those who killed a loving husband and father brought before the courts and I can only praise their dignity during this long process.

    "This case clearly demonstrates the Met's commitment to pursuing offenders who think they can evade capture by fleeing the country after committing their crimes."

    Abdus Samad, a 25-year-old Bangladeshi man from Bethnal Green, E1, was married with two young daughters. He was known as Kamal to his friends and family. At the time of his death he was working as a delivery driver for 'Curry in a Hurry', based in St Pauls Road, Islington.

    On the night of Wednesday, 21 May 1997, a public telephone kiosk was used to place a bogus order to be delivered to an address in Alwyne Road, Islington. Mr Samad was dispatched with the food and parked his car near the property.

    As soon as he got out of his vehicle Mr Samad was chased into Alwyne Villas by two or three masked suspects and viciously attacked with a variety of weapons.

    Police and paramedics were called at 22:37hrs and Mr Samad was taken to Whittington Hospital where he died at approximately 01:50hrs on Thursday, 22 May. A post-mortem examination that day at St Pancras Mortuary gave cause of death as multiple stab wounds.

    After the murder Rahman swiftly left the country, flying to the United States on 23 May 1997.

    In March 2012, Mohiuddin Bablu, then 38 (05.09.74), of no fixed address, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Mr Samad with a recommendation he serve a minimum of 18 years. He had fled to Birmingham and then Bangladesh after the murder but was eventually brought back to face trial.

    Further enquiries and forensic work was carried out following Bablu's trial. DNA found on a makeshift mask discarded at the scene proved a match for Rahman's. His fingerprints were also found on a bag used to bring weapons to the location.

    Rahman was extradited from the US and arrested by Met officers on his arrival at Heathrow Airport on 27 January 2016. He appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court the following day.

    The motive for Mr Samad's murder was a dispute between two Bangladeshi groups, one from the Stoke Newington area and the other from Brick Lane.

    This had escalated into a series of incidents and fights - the victim was called in by the Brick Lane group as a go-between to try and sort matters out.

    When he refused, the suspects plotted to kill him, luring him to a quiet residential address and carrying out the attack.

    In an extract from a victim impact statement, Mr Samad's family said:

    "There is not a single day that passes when Kamal and the incredibly violent way in which he died is not in our thoughts. Our loss is permanent. All of us have nightmares over the horror of the death.

    "Kamal's daughters are now 19 and 22 years old. They express sadness that their father is not able to share in their achievements. A few years ago Tahmin took part in a study tour to the International Criminal Court at The Hague to witness a historic trial of a war criminal. This was a special achievement for her and she wanted to make her father proud. Equally, she wanted to make her father proud of her graduation last summer from Queen Mary University of London. Tahmin is now working with Oxfam to help improve the lives of some of the poorest people in the world. During much of her life, she has grieved for her father and has felt his absence in every way.

    "Tasmin, his younger daughter is also very vulnerable. She feels upset and angry that she has been denied the opportunity to know her father. People who knew her father constantly stop her in the streets. She is a spitting image of her father. This throws her off-course in her daily life and she does not know how to handle these emotions. She is also studying for her bio-chemistry degree at Queen Mary University of London, despite the enormous hole in her life.

    "Both daughters remain unable to understand why their father was killed, and they continue to ask the simple question: why?

    "Kamal's generosity of spirit remained with him until his last moments. It was no surprise to hear that, whilst he had suffered such horrific injuries, he warned by-standers to stay away as the men who had attacked him were dangerous. Few of us here would have the courage to try and protect others while under such a barbaric attack. It takes someone with a lot of heart to do this in his dying moments. But that is how we remember our son, brother and friend: as one of the most honourable of any of us, putting the safety of others before himself."

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