Gang members jailed for ‘brutal’ street stabbing murder of NHS worker

Four gang members who stabbed an “entirely unsuspecting” NHS worker in the street in a “brutal murder” have been jailed for life.

David Gomoh was repeatedly stabbed on April 26 last year as he spoke to his girlfriend on the phone, having been in the “wrong place at the wrong time”.

The 24-year-old marketing graduate, who worked in procurement for the health service, staggered back to his home in east London and bled to death in front of his horrified family.

David Gomoh was repeatedly stabbed in the street in April 2020 (Metropolitan Police/PA)
David Gomoh was repeatedly stabbed in the street in April 2020 (Metropolitan Police/PA)

The court previously heard how Mr Gomoh was stabbed in Freemasons Road, Canning Town, as part of a “meaningless feud” that sparked a “petty but fatal game of one-upmanship” played out on the streets of London.

During the trial, jurors heard the victim had nothing to do with gangs.

David Ture, 19, of Bloomsbury Street, Camden, Vagnei Colubali, 23, of Suffolk Road, Enfield, and Muhammad Jalloh, 19, of Watt Street, Wapping, were found guilty of Mr Gomoh’s murder in August.

A fourth boy who was also convicted of murder but could not be named as he was under 18, can now be identified as Alex Melaku.

The teenager, who turned 18 a day before the sentencing hearing, is from Bishopdale in Telford, Shropshire.

The defendants were also convicted of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent to another man who got away and has never been identified.

David Gomoh death
David Ture, Muhammad Jalloh, Vagnei Colubali and Alex Melaku (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Judge Mark Lucraft QC, the Recorder of London, said the killers had carried out a “brutal murder” which had involved a “significant degree” of planning.

He said: “The four of you are part of a north-side Newham gang, who have a feud with gangs on the south-side of the borough.

“I have no doubt there are many who live in all parts of the borough impacted by the acts of those like the four of you, who seem to kill simply for the sake of it and show little or no regard for human life.”

He added: “David was a lone, innocent and entirely unsuspecting victim.”

Mr Gomoh was in the “wrong place at the wrong time”, he said, adding that he was stabbed no fewer than 10 times during the incident in Freemasons Road, with some of the wounds being almost 20cm deep.

Mr Gomoh’s family were already in mourning at the time of his death, as his father had only recently died.

She said the “psychological and emotional torture escalated” during the trial, as she listened to details of what happened to her “beautiful son”.

She added that he had “so much to live for; so much unfulfilled promise and so much needed by the NHS trust he worked for to help distribute PPE and other stocks, so much humanity and compassion to share”.

She said her son’s murderers had “walked uninvited into our lives and destroyed David’s life”.

The defendants have “wrecked our family”, she said, adding: “Their contempt for a human life is just beyond comprehension.”

His sister Lizzie paid tribute to her “fun-loving, amazing brother” and said his death has had a “devastating impact on us all”.

She said: “It still feels so raw and so fresh.”

Referring to her brother’s killers, she said: “I hope they will eventually show remorse.”

In a statement released after the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Laurence Smith, who led the investigation for the Met Police, said: “These four defendants carried out a senseless attack on a completely innocent man and there is absolutely no doubt that London is a safer place with them behind bars.”

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