Teenager found guilty of murder near Elephant and Castle station

A teenager has been found guilty of the murder of another teenager after a completely unprovoked attack near Elephant and Castle station turned into “breakneck chase” that resulted in a fatal stabbing.

Rashai Annang, 18, of Knapmill Road in Lewisham, was convicted of one count of murder after the court heard details of his “deliberate and merciless” attack on McCaulay Junior Urugbezi-Edwards, also 18.

On May 5, 2019, McCaulay and Annang encountered each other by coincidence and after a very brief conversation Annang began to chase McCaulay as he ran from Newington Gardens, known as Gaol Park, into Tiverton Street.

Annang found McCaulay by a low wall, in a position described as “utterly defenceless”, by the prosecution, and appeared to kick him while he was down.

He then stabbed him several times with force and fled the scene, leaving McCauley bleeding on the street.

Emergency services arrived at Tiverton Street at around 9.30pm and a helicopter rushed McCaulay to a south London hospital but he died less than two hours later.

The post-mortem examination found the cause of McCaulay’s death was a stab wound to his left thigh.

The jury heard that Annang did not deny being on his bike in the Elephant and Castle area. CCTV footage showed distinctive markings on Annang’s pedal bike and clothes.

The prosecution also used the testimonies of two eye witnesses who saw what happened.

Two days after the attack, Annang was tracked down by police to at hotel in Norwich where he had run away “to cover his tracks”.

Detective Sergeant Sarah Fisher, from the murder investigation team at Specialist Crime South, said: “This was a vicious unprovoked attack committed by Rashai Annang on McCaulay.

“CCTV shows how McCaulay was running for his life, being chased by Rashai Annang on a push bike, resulting in McCaulay falling to the ground and Annang stabbing him to death.

“He has shown no remorse for his actions on that night.

“It has been a traumatic time for the family who have lost a much loved son. The right verdict has been reached today, justice has been done for McCaulay.

“This is another tragic and unnecessary loss of a young life on the streets of London and I would ask communities to support officers as they do everything they can to stop another family suffering the pain of losing a loved one.

“If you are worried about someone, advice and support is available through organisations including Knife Free and for young people, via Fearless. Fearless will never ask your name and they cannot trace your call IP address or device you use. You can also visit our website for further information or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Pictured top: Rashai Annang, left and victim McCaulay Junior Urugbezi-Edwards, right