An East London drug addict who tied up and strangled a man so he could steal his television worth £15 has been found guilty of murder.
Salieu Seray-Wurie, 26, killed 47-year-old Darren Ammon at his flat in Shoreditch last October 15.
Homeless Seray-Wurie denied intending to seriously hurt Mr Ammon but was found guilty of murder having already admitted manslaughter and stealing the TV set.
READ MORE: London girl, 2, killed in holiday park tragedy as mum pays tribute to ‘beautiful daughter’
Darren Ammon was strangled in his flat on October 15 last year(Image: Met)
Prosecutor Jacqueline Carey KC had told jurors: “The killing appears to have been motivated by the fact that the defendant believed Mr Ammon had possession of his bank card and because he needed money to fund his drugs habit.
“The defendant assaulted Mr Ammon and ultimately strangled him to death. After killing Mr Ammon, the defendant stole Mr Ammon’s TV and wallet – subsequently pawning the TV within 60-90 minutes of the murder.”
Mr Ammon, who was addicted to class A drugs, was described as a “much loved father and son”. He had let the defendant stay at his flat while living a chaotic “hand to mouth” existence, jurors were told.
Earlier on the day of the murder, Mr Ammon had called police for help to remove someone who was refusing to leave his flat.
In the background, someone was heard demanded to be given his money back with the victim saying: “What money, I don’t owe you no money.”
When police arrived at the flat the defendant was asked to leave, but he soon returned.
Three days later, a neighbour raised the alarm and officers forced entry to the flat where they found Mr Ammon’s body in the living room under a duvet with his wrists and knees tied up and a cord around his neck.
Ms Carey said: “Whether Mr Ammon was tied up before, during or after the fatal attack is not known, but it is clear that ensuring that Mr Ammon either could not defend himself or could not summon assistance would have taken some time, some strength and some thought.
“The prosecution say it took all those three things and it was the defendant who strangled Darren Ammon that afternoon.”
The defendant was caught on CCTV walking away from the scene carrying a large television which he sold at a shop in Bethnal Green before going to Slough.
He was arrested last October 22 and claimed in a police interview not to have been present at the time of Mr Ammon’s death.
When he was being escorted to a cell, the defendant told an officer that he needed to cancel his Barclaycard because he had lost it.
Even though he lost it a long time ago, there was no money in his account so he was not worried, he added.
The defendant went on to accept being responsible to Mr Ammon’s death and pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the second day of his trial.
It took a jury an hour and 25 minutes to reach a guilty verdict on Wednesday and Seray-Wurie will be sentenced on Thursday at the Old Bailey.
Never miss a London story again
MyLondon is on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.
Through WhatsApp, we’ll send the latest breaking news, top stories, exclusives and much more straight to your phone.
To join our community, you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘join community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the MyLondon team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’. If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Click here to join our WhatsApp community.
Don’t miss out on the biggest local stories. Sign up to our MyEastLondon newsletter HERE for all the latest daily news and more.
