Trio jailed for life for 'abhorrent' murder of Southampton teenager
Three men have been jailed for life for the murder of a teenager in Southampton.
19-year-old Dawid Such was found injured in Langhorn Road on Sunday 24 July last year.
He had been stabbed a number of times and was taken to hospital, but later died as a result of his injuries.
Ken Mulangala, 20, of Warren Avenue, Southampton, Cleohurtz Uchenna Onyeasi, 21, of Ellingham View, Dartford, Kent and Donovan Neil Thomas, 36, of Norwood High Street, London were found guilty of the joint enterprise murder of Dawid.
Today The Honourable Mr Justice Wall sentenced Ken Mulangala to life with a minimum period of 23 years, Cleohurtz Uchenna Onyeasi to life with a minimum period of 23 years, and Donovan Neil Thomas to life with a minimum period of 27 years.
Jordan Gregory Matthews was jailed for three years for assisting an offender.
The trial heard that a number of the defendants were involved in drugs supply for a County Line drug network between London and Southampton.
On the afternoon of Sunday 24 July, Dawid was on the driveway of his address in Langhorn Road when at around 12:20pm Mulangala, Onyeasi and Thomas attacked him.
During the altercation, Dawid was stabbed in the back, leg, abdomen and arm before collapsing in the street.
Despite the best efforts of the emergency services and members of the public, Dawid was pronounced dead a short while later in hospital.
The jury heard that Mulangala, Onyeasi and Thomas acted in a joint manner in attacking Dawid.
Mulangala and Thomas then met with Matthews where they proceeded to move around Southampton before leaving the city in a vehicle.
They travelled to the London area and were stopped by armed response vehicles at around 9pm that evening in the borough of Kensington. Onyeasi was arrested approximately a month later at his home address in Dartford.
Detective Chief Inspector Rod Kenny who led the investigation said: “At the time of the attack, Dawid Such was just 19 years old and his death is a senseless tragedy. Our thoughts remain with his family and friends.
“Those found responsible for killing Dawid acted in a co-ordinated and pre-planned manner where they gave no regard for him or those who now live their lives without him.
“The court heard evidence of the bravery and compassion of the initial responders and witnesses in this case and I personally wish to thank them for their actions. I also wish to praise the professionalism and commitment of our Major Crime Investigation Team and colleagues at the Crown Prosecution Service in securing justice for Dawid and his family.”
Southampton District Commander Chief Inspector Marcus Kennedy, said: “This was an abhorrent attack on a young man in broad daylight. A senseless, and tragic, loss of life in the local community.
“Our thoughts remain with Dawid’s family and friends at this very difficult time.
“Violence of this nature will not be tolerated in the city. We remain focused, and committed, to reducing serious violence in the city where we see the most harm.
“We continue to work closely with the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), schools, charities and the Safe City Partnership to tackle most serious violence across Southampton.”
More follows.