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Kingsley Ogundele and Brandon Jolie |
Music producer’s plot to kill girl who put his hopes of fame at risk
Police hail courage of passer-by who saved pregnant victim forced into canal
TWO music producers are facing life sentences for plotting to kill a pregnant schoolgirl who stood in the way of the career of one of them.
The 15-year-old victim was hauled barely conscious from the Regent’s Canal at Wenlock Basin, Shepherdess Walk, Islington, in November last year.
She was six months pregnant carrying the child of Brandon Jolie, whose work has been used in EastEnders, on films and has received wide acclaim in the grime music rap scene.
An Old Bailey court heard that Jolie, 19, from Luton, and his rapper partner, Kingsley Ogundele, also 19, from Romford, decided to get rid of the girl because she had been “making a nuisance” of herself and wouldn’t leave them alone.
The schoolgirl, from Lewisham, who cannot be named, was hauled from the freezing waters of the canal and later gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
This week, after a six-hour jury retirement, Ogundele was convicted of conspiracy to murder. Judge Paul Worsley QC then revealed to the jury for the first time that several weeks ago Jolie had admitted the same charge.
Both are in custody and will be sentenced next month.
Ogundele denied being at the scene of the attack but jurors decided he was responsible for ambushing the girl on the footpath late at night, battering her over the head with an iron bar, punching and kicking her, and forcing her into the water.
Ogundele, a former St Aloysius College student, had lived in Islington with his family for many years and knew the area well. He was dressed all in black and hooded when he sprang from hiding to grab the terrified victim, who had been lured there by a phone call from Jolie.
Resident Andrew Hall, 38, a tour guide, is now in line for a bravery award after sprinting to her rescue when he heard frantic screams for help. He caught Ogundele, who went to assault him, but then ran off.
Mr Hall grabbed the girl, pulled her onto the towpath, phoned police and took her to safety.
Prosecutor Rufus Vivek told the court: “This was a determined effort to kill, not just to injure or scare.”
The girl said in evidence: “I went under the water and he pushed my head down. I swallowed lots of water and really thought I was going to die.”
Officers from Islington Police community safety unit, led by Detective Inspector Helen Williams, brought in computer experts to help with their investigation.
Evidence was found on Ogundele’s computer that the pair plotted to kill the victim while chatting about TV shows and music.
Officers also used mobile phone and CCTV evidence to track and confirm Ogundele’s movements from the scene to Luton, where Jolie lived.
Det Insp Williams said: “It is difficult to comprehend the casual way in which Ogundele and Jolie callously plotted to kill the victim – all because they didn’t want Jolie’s aspirations of fame to be affected. If it wasn’t for the courageous intervention of a member of the public we would have been dealing with a murder.
“Ogundele’s conviction and Jolie’s guilty plea are testament to the professionalism and dedication of Islington’s investigative team and the experts who assisted us.” |
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