A cyclist was branded a “callous monster” as he was jailed for at least 27 years for fatally stabbing a BMW driver who knocked over his bike.
Ahmed Chakile Gonladieu was found guilty of murder and having a bladed article following a trial at the Old Bailey in London.
The 25-year-old attacked Alexandros Josephs through an open car window on 10 May last year.
Fatally wounded, Mr Josephs then drove a short distance down the road and crashed into a line of parked cars.
The 29-year-old aspiring songwriter died at the scene in Ladywell, southeast London.
Alexandros Josephs, 29, was attacked in his vehicle. Pic: Met Police
The court heard Gonladieu had 17 previous convictions for 32 crimes, including 11 convictions for violence and possession of weapons – one for causing grievous bodily harm to a prison inmate.
He hit the prisoner with a metal rod, piercing his cheek and knocking out a tooth, the hearing was told
Handing Gonladieu a life sentence, Judge Anuja Dhir KC told him: “Your offending pattern suggests, and your actions on the day of this suggests, that you are a young man who has a short temper and when you lose your temper you act violently.”
In a victim impact statement, Mr Josephs’ mother Lana Joannou said she “will never be able to forgive this person for what they have done”.
“All I ask is for justice,” she added.
Mr Josephs was fatally stabbed in his car in Ladywell, southeast London. Pic: PA
Ms Joannou said the conviction of her son’s killer “will never diminish the pain my family… but the lengthy sentence will prevent other families being destroyed by this callous monster who has shown no remorse for what he has done”.
“The brutal killing of my only son has left a hole in our lives,” she added.
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Acting Detective Chief Inspector Mike Nolan described Gonladieu as “an extremely dangerous man”.
The Old Bailey heard a witness saw Mr Josephs talking to a man on a mountain bike through the window of his car.
After a minute, they heard the sound of metal scraping and saw the car had moved, dragging the bike along the road, the court was told.
The cyclist, dressed in dark clothes, was then seen removing a large knife and making a stabbing motion through the car window.
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The court heard that as Gonladieu fled into a park after his fatal attack on Mr Josephs, the killer re-sheathed the knife and shouted: “They take me for a p***yhole.”
Mr Josephs’ passenger got out of the car and shouted for help, jurors were told.
A post-mortem examination found Mr Josephs died from a stab wound to the front right side, which had been nearest to the car door.