Euston murder: Three men found guilty of killing Bright Akinleye

Bright Akinleye, 22, was fatally stabbed in Starcross Street. Archant

Three men are facing years behind bars for killing a drill music manager in Euston during a promotional video shoot following an online “war of words”.

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Bright Akinleye, 22, was stabbed three times with a large hunting knife at a flat in Starcross Street in February last year.

During the onslaught he grabbed the blade and left a trail of blood as he ran 150 yards to a hotel foyer where he collapsed and died from a leg wound.

Following an Old Bailey trial, Abdoulie Ceesay, 28, and Tashawn Brewster, 31, of south London, were found guilty of his murder.

Co-accused Oliver Petts, 30, from Bromley, south-east London, had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, which was accepted by the prosecution.

Mr Akinleye, from Lewisham, was involved with a group of drill artists from Birmingham called 23 Drillaz.

He later became the manager for one of the rappers, who was connected with the video shoot where he was attacked, jurors heard.

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Prosecutor Simon Denison QC said knifeman Brewster had been recruited to help "punish" Mr Akinleye over a long-running dispute.

Mr Denison said: "Bright Akinleye had been in a long-running dispute with twin brothers from the Aylesbury estate in Southwark called Jospin and Elvis Mayamba.

"At the end of 2018 Bright had posted online a video that showed Jospin Mayamba being manhandled and disrespected by a group of people and it appears that there was a war of words between them that continued in the early part of 2019."

On the evening of February 18 last year the twins' friend, Ceesay, and Petts had been at a studio in Deptford where the video shoot began before moving to Euston.

Ceesay called Jospin Mayamba who did not pick up. He then called Brewster who travelled to Euston from his home in Kennington.

Brewster's DNA was later found on the handle of the knife and more DNA evidence linked him to a pair of trainers that were stained with Mr Akinleye's blood, the court heard.

The defendants were remanded into custody to be sentenced on March 26.

A fourth defendant, Silas Loko, 27, of Southwark, was cleared of murder.