Man who bludgeoned a work colleague to death found guilty of murder

A man who bludgeoned a work colleague to death on a construction site in Hatton Garden has been found guilty of murder.

Elton Sefa, 24, was found guilty of murdering John Woodward, 47, during at London's Old Bailey.

Sefa was a labourer who worked with John in the months before the murder on a number of building sites and they were said to have got on well.

However the court heard how a day before the murder there appeared to be some tension after John was annoyed that Sefa cleared away their tools early.

Sefa had also queried his weekly pay which John had taken up on his behalf with the company – however, it was confirmed that the pay was correct.In April 2018 both men arrived for work in Hatton Garden where they worked together on the fourth floor of the site.

Sefa assaulted John with a metal scaffolding pole, hitting him a number of times on the head. He then fled the building site leaving John lying injured on the deserted fourth floor. His body was eventually discovered by another worker.Detective Inspector James Howarth from the Met’s Specialist Crime led the investigation and said: “John was a loving and caring family man and supervisor who was attacked in the cowardly manner by the man who John had overseen for the previous seven months. Elton Sefa has refused to say why he attacked John in such a brutal and frenzied way and that has only added to the distress for John’s family.

“To John’s family, I express my admiration for your patience, fortitude and dignity which you demonstrated over the past three traumatic and very difficult years. I hope that now Elton Sefa has been convicted of John’s murder, you can begin to rebuild your lives and move on from this traumatic episode."