A man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Robert Weston in Harrow, following an investigation by the Met’s Specialist Crime Command.
Jaden Sheriff, 20 (22.01.05) of Forston Street, Hackney, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 14 February to life with a minimum term of 19 years’ imprisonment.
Detectives launched a murder investigation after police were called at 14:05hrs on Monday, 26 February 2024 to Hamilton Crescent, Harrow following reports that a man had been stabbed.
Robert, a Hackney resident, was found with two stab wounds, including one to the heart. Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detective Inspector Devan Taylor, who led the investigation into the murder, said:
“Robert was just 37-years-old when he lost his life in this senseless attack, killed by someone who should have been a friend and neighbour.
“Jaden Sheriff now has to spend the rest of his life knowing he killed a man.
“No amount of time will make up for the pain Robert’s family have endured at losing their loved one.
“They have conducted themselves with great dignity throughout the trial and our thoughts remain with them as they continue to process what happened.”
In initial interviews with officers, Sheriff claimed he accidentally stabbed Robert in self-defence, alleging he had pulled a knife on him.
However, witnesses gave police a different account, saying Sheriff had set upon Robert following a dispute.
Forensic evidence revealed his wounds could only have been caused by a deliberate stabbing to the chest.
Investigators obtained phone records, which showed Robert had called 999 to complain about Sheriff just three days before he was stabbed.
He told police that he’d been “threatened” in his own house after an argument with the Sheriff; a statement which was used at trial to illustrate the spiralling relationship between the two men, culminating in murder just days later.
Officers worked quickly to arrest Sheriff the day after the incident.
He was arrested on suspicion of murder on Tuesday, 27 February 2024 and subsequently charged with murder and possession of an offensive weapon in the early hours of Thursday, 29 February 2024.
He was found guilty of murder by a jury at the Old Bailey on Thursday, 30 January.
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