Man jailed after killing refugee over £10 drug debt six years ago

Moosakhan Naseri was stabbed to death in Plashet Park in 2017
Met Police
Bill McLoughlin11 August 2023
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A man has been jailed for the murder of a 20-year-old Afghan refugee in an east London park six years ago.

Moosakhan Naseri, 20, who was known as Moosa, was set upon by a group of fellow Afghans, including now 28-year-old Javid Ahmadzai, in Plashet Park, East Ham, on October 15, 2017.

The court at the Old Bailey heard how Mr Naseri suffered a fatal stab wound to the chest during the attack and died at the scene.

Ahmadzai, was found guilty of murder and violent disorder and sentenced 24 years in prison on Thursday.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, the lead investigator, said: "The level of violence used was shocking to the members of the public in the park that day and I commend all those who have helped our investigation.

"It is tragic that Moosakhan, an Afghan national, had come to the UK looking for a safer life after fleeing the Taliban in his home country."

The court had heard how Mr Naseri had come to the UK in 2005 to seek asylum because of the actions of the Taliban.

He lived in Bradford before moving to London to stay with an Afghan foster family who lived near the park where he died.

Prosecutor Lisa Wilding KC said that the brutal attack had arisen because the victim owed £10 for some drugs which he could not pay back immediately.

After the killing, Ahmadzai fled to France but was extradited back to the UK on June 21, 2022 and was arrested for murder.

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