Murderer who stabbed victim in heart faces life

Wednesday, 15 August 2012

A HOTEL worker who stabbed a man through the heart in Streatham Hill is facing life in prison.

James Rickerby, 26, of Balham High Road, was found guilty of stabbing garage worker Soloman Sarfo, 34, on February 27 last year.

Mr Sarfo was heard screaming “help me, help me, I’m being robbed” as the knifeman stood over him, wielding a four inch blade.

As he lay dying in Tilson Gardens, Streatham Hill, he told the knifeman: “Come on then, you’ve stabbed me, so come on then, let’s have it.”

Mr Sarfo then tried to give chase as Rickerby fled before collapsing on the ground.

He died from a single stab wound to the chest, which pierced his heart and his liver.

A jury at the Old Bailey convicted Rickerby of murder last week, after the first trial collapsed last September after a juror contacted the killer’s girlfriend.

Mr Sarfo had left his his flat in Prendergast House, Kings Avenue, Clapham, South-west London, at 10.50pm on February 27 last year.

Mr Sarfo told his girlfriend he would only be gone a short while.

Some 40 minutes later at 11.30pm he was seen in an altercation with another man, by a brother and sister who lived nearby.

They made a 999 call at 11.35pm and he died shortly after midnight.

Mr Sarfo worked part-time in a garage and made money exporting items to his native Ghana.

But when police searched his body they found three one-ounce wraps of crack cocaine – worth around £5,000.

“It may well be that drugs are something to do with the reason why he was killed,” said Mr Moore.

“The prosecution say those drugs must have something to do with why he was killed.

“There will be no issue that he was stabbed and whoever stabbed him is guilty of murder.

“The issue in this case is who was the killer?

“The prosecution say it was this defendant and you can be sure about it.” Rickerby, who worked at the Park Lane Hilton hotel, was “no stranger to drugs”, the court heard.

Rickerby denied murder throughout the trial and the jury returned a majority verdict.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

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