Man convicted of murdering ‘funny and affectionate’ family man

A 23-year-old man has been convicted of murdering a “kind-hearted man who prioritised family”, after he stabbed him 24 times in the head and neck.

Raekwon Hanniford-Brown, of Rossiter Road, Balham appeared at Croydon Crown Court for trial yesterday was found guilty of the murder of Errol McKay in Wandsworth.

He was remanded in custody to appear at the same court for sentencing tomorrow.

A spokesperson for Mr McKay’s family said: “Errol was the youngest of nine children, the baby of the family.

“He was a loving son, brother, uncle and nephew. Errol was humble, funny and affectionate.

“A kind-hearted man who prioritised family. Errol was taken from us too soon but leaves behind a legacy of love.”

Mr McKay used drugs and Hanniford-Brown, a drug dealer, stored drugs in Mr McKay’s flat. In return for this, the defendant supplied Mr McKay with crack cocaine.

Up until the night of the murder, the two had appeared to be on friendly terms

At around 1am on July 27, 2022 the defendant went to the flat in Trinity Crescent and let himself in with a set of keys he had.

An argument broke out between him and Mr McKay about the keys he had used to get into the flat. This quickly developed into a physical fight that ended with Mr McKay sustaining fatal wounds.

Hanniford Brown stabbed Mr McKay 24 times causing injuries to his head and neck.

A friend of Mr McKay ‘s was at the flat at the time of the stabbing. Hanniford-Brown told her to call an ambulance and put pressure on the wounds.

He then moved the safe where he stored his drugs, left the scene on a bicycle, disposed of the knife and attempted to leave the country.

Paramedics fought to save Mr McKay, but sadly he died at the scene.

Detective chief inspector Laura Semple said: “Hanniford-Brown claimed that he acted in self-defence and that he suffered with PTSD and a phobia of knives, he also said that if it wasn’t self-defence, he at least hadn’t intended to cause Mr McKay serious harm.

“However, the attack on Errol was one of extreme brutality – inflicting wounds of that nature is indicative of a frenzied attack, not self-defence.”

Forensic examiners found bloodstaining inside the address, not only in the lounge where the attack took place, but also in the kitchen where someone had attempted to clean their hands. A hand print was also found, in blood, in the bedroom. The fingerprints were Hanniford-Brown’s.

On July 28, 2022, Hanniford-Brown was arrested at Gatwick Airport as he attempted to leave the UK for Paris. He was charged with Mr McKay’s murder the next day.

A man and a woman, both in their 40s, were arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. They were taken into custody and were later released on bail and have since been told that no further action will be taken.

Pictured top: Left, Raekwon Hanniford-Brown and, right, Errol Mckay (Picture: The Met)