Six Convicted of West Kensington 'Execution'

Reasons for fatal shooting of Janayo Lucima remain unknown

Left: Police on Comeragh Road after the shooting. Right: Janayo Lucima. Picture: BBC/Met Police

July 17, 2025

The family of a 21-year-old man gunned down in West Kensington last year remain in the dark about the reasons for his death despite his killers being found guilty.

Five men and a 17-year-old boy were convicted at the Old Bailey this Tuesday (15 May) of the murder of Janayo Lucima on Comeragh Road.

The April Fools’ Day killing last year was described as a ‘planned and organised execution’ linked to a dispute over drugs although none of his murderers ever explained why it was thought necessary to kill Janayo.

When officers arrived at the scene shortly after 10:15pm, they found the victim suffering from gun shots wounds on his doorstep. Despite the efforts of paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The subsequent investigation found that the killing was a strategically co-ordinated operation with all six convicted playing a role.

During this time, they were in phone contact with 22-year-old Khuder Al-Kurdi who was at his home on Fulham Palace Road as the incident unfolded. Phone records showed he was also in contact with Janayo pretending to set up a drug deal, and then letting the others know when he would step out of his home.

As they waited to pounce, 18-year-old Mohammed Mansaray of Neasden Lane was seen brandishing the gun, that would later fire the fatal shot. After a signal from Al-Kurdi, they made their way to Janayo’s residence, with some changing their clothes en route.

Video footage showed the defendants concealing themselves along Comeragh Road, with Mansaray positioning himself opposite Janayo’s house.

A call was made to Al-Kurdi, who phoned Janayo and lured him outside on the false pretence of collecting drugs. Less than a minute later, Janayo stepped outside and was fatally shot at by Mansaray with a single bullet to the chest at close range. The handgun used to kill Janayo was never recovered.

The offenders fled the scene, with some discarding the weapons they had been carrying, including knives. These were forensically linked back to a number of the defendants.

Out of the six, five left the country days after the killing. Mansaray was captured in Glasgow along with 23-year-old Muktar Said of Franklin Square, West Kensington on 6 April. Another of the gang, a 17-year-old boy from Fulham was extradited from Spain on 7 June 2004 and two more, 19-year-old Issa Siteri from Elm Park Gardens, Chelsea and Yusuf Muhudin Abdi, also 19, of Bourne Terrace, W2 travelled to Morocco, later being arrested on 8 June 2024 when they returned to the UK.

Lucima had been sent to a Young Offenders’ Institution for perverting the course of justice for three years and three months in 2021 after he had been found guilty of helping dismember the body of 53-year-old William ‘Blaise’ Algar. The former Chiswick School student had been murdered by a gang of drug dealers who had taken over his home in Barnes in 2019 .

However, he had been described by his teachers and friends as quiet and well-mannered and being a talented musician who played the violin and toured with a choral group. His family believe he was groomed by older criminals when he was young and impressionable and that is how he became enmeshed in the drugs trade. After leaving Young Offenders he had started an apprenticeship and he told his mother and siblings he intended to turn his life around.

Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, senior investigating officer from the Specialist Crime Command said, “Our thoughts are with Janayo’s family, who have all been deeply affected by the senseless violence that night. His family attended each day of the trial and listened to every harrowing detail of the traumatic events of the night he was killed.

“None of the defendants provided a truthful explanation as to why he was killed. Janayo’s family will never be able to understand why their loved one was lured to his death and into the sights of the waiting gunman as soon as he emerged, with no opportunity to defend himself.

“This was not a random killing. The defendants came with murderous intent, armed not only with a handgun but also with knives.

“Each of the defendants had their role to play and all of them were participants in the murder of Janayo. With joint participation comes joint responsibility.

“We worked tirelessly over many months, painstakingly gathering evidence to ensure those involved were brought to justice. Violence and the use of weapons will never be tolerated, and we strive to ensure a safer London.”

The jury could not reach a verdict on another man and boy charged with murder and a retrial will be held in 2026.