Man who fled country after 2017 Newham park murder jailed for life

A fugitive who murdered a 20-year-old man in a Newham in a row over a £10 drug debt has been jailed for life after an investigation of nearly six-years.

Javid Ahmadzai, 28, fled the country after stabbing Moosakhan Naseri to death in Plashet Park, East Ham, on October 15, 2017.

Emergency services and an off-duty doctor attempted open-heart surgery at the scene, but they were unable to save the Afghan national, who'd moved to the UK to escape the Taliban.

Jurors at the Old Bailey heard how Ahmadzai attacked Mr Naseri because he believed he owed £10 for some drugs.

He fled the country shortly after the attack, but was extradited back to the UK on June 21 last year after he was arrested in France.

Homicide detectives linked Ahmadzai to the murder via phone records that placed him at the scene and statement from eyewitnesses.

He was found guilty of murder and violent disorder on Tuesday, August 1 after a trial at the Old Bailey and was sentenced yesterday to life imprisonment with a minimum of 24 years.

Lead investigator, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, said: "Moosakhan, who was only 29 years old, was killed due to an argument about an alleged £10 drug debt. "The level of violence used was shocking to the members of the public in the park that day and I commend all those who have helped our investigation. "It is tragic that Moosakhan, an Afghan national, had come to the UK looking for a safer life after fleeing the Taliban in his home country."

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