Three jailed for manslaughter of bouncer on New Year’s Day

Three men have been jailed after admitting to the manslaughter of a security guard at a private party on New Year’s Day last year.

Tudor Simionov, 33, was fatally stabbed as he tried to protect a colleague.

 

On Monday, March 16, Nor Hamada, 24, from Brent, pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He had previously pleaded guilty to a count of violent disorder.

Adam Khalil, 21, from Brent, and Haroon Akram, 26, from Hammersmith and Fulham, had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the second day of a trial in August 2019.

At the Old Bailey on Wednesday Hamada was sentenced seven years for manslaughter and three years for violent disorder to be served concurrently, Khalil will serve 11 years for manslaughter and Akram six years and nine months for manslaughter.

Ahmed Munajed, 26, also from Hammersmith and Fulham, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was previously sentenced to two years and nine months imprisonment.

The court heard that Mr Simionov had been employed to assist with security at a party in Park Lane on December 31, 2018, along with a number of other staff.

At around 5.30am on Tuesday, January 1 the defendants attempted to gain entry to the premises, but were refused access by the door staff.

An altercation followed, during which a number of door staff were injured, many receiving stab and slash wounds.

CCTV of the incident showed Mr Simionov was stabbed shortly after 5.30am as he attempted to intervene in an attack on a colleague.

Despite the efforts of the emergency services he was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6am.

A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as a single stab wound to the chest.

Detectives from the Met’s specialist crime command launched a murder investigation and via CCTV identified the group on their way to the party.

Footage played in court showed the altercation in which a number of victims were attacked before Mr Simionov received his fatal wound.

No weapons have ever been recovered.

Following the attack, the defendants fled the scene in a range of cars.

Within 24 hours of the murder, Hamada fled from the UK on a ferry to France before travelling on to Morocco.

He was arrested as he attempted to re-enter the UK on board a flight to Gatwick airport in February 2019. In the days following the murder, Khalil also travelled to Morocco and, after returning to London, was arrested at his home address on Tuesday, January 29 at which point he unsuccessfully attempted to evade arrest by jumping out of a window.

Munajed was arrested on Tuesday, January 22, while Akram was arrested on Tuesday, January 29.

Ossama Hamed, 26, of Hillingdon, is believed to have been involved in the attack, and remains wanted by police.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Garry Moncrieff, who led the investigation, said: “The defendants in this case acted together to carry out a brutal attack which left a completely innocent man fatally wounded.

“Thanks to the efforts of everyone involved in the investigation, the evidence against Hamada, Khalil, Akram and Munajed was indisputable and they had little choice but to plead guilty to their involvement in Tudor’s death.

“Tudor’s girlfriend Madalina has been at court throughout these proceedings and had to re-live what happened that night time and time again. Her life will never be the same.

“For her sake and for the rest of Tudor’s family, we are determined to find Ossama Hamed, who we believe played a significant role in this attack.

“Anyone who thinks they may know his whereabouts or has any information which could help lead us to him is urged to call the incident room on 0208 358 0300.”

Madalina Anghel, Tudor’s girlfriend, said: “Tudor and I met three years ago at university in Romania and in October 2018 moved to London to start a new life.

“Tudor was a professional rower who had been successful in many competitions. He believed that moving to England would be an opportunity to focus on his sport.

“On December 31, 2018, Tudor had gone to work as normal when his life was suddenly taken away. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was simply unlucky.

“Tudor was only 33 years old and we had planned our whole lives together. He was always thinking about everyone else and putting others first. He was the kindest person I knew and by losing him, I have lost everything.

“We were meant to be getting married but instead of attending our wedding I have been attending court. Instead of going to the church to arrange our wedding I was going to church to bury him. My life has been turned upside down.

“I am pleased those involved have been convicted but we must now keep working to find Ossama Hamed who remains on the run from police.

The jury found Adham El Shalakany 24, of Hammersmith and Fulham, not guilty of violent disorder, while Shaymaa Lamrani 26, of Hillingdon, was found not guilty of perverting the course of justice.

Pictured top: Tudor, with his girlfriend, Madalina