A man has been found guilty of murder in relation to a fatal stabbing that took place on Clapham High Street in south London. The conviction comes after a thorough investigation, which included a detailed analysis of CCTV footage.
The incident occurred in December 2022, when 24-year-old Abraham Kallon was tragically killed. In their pursuit of justice, the police meticulously reviewed footage from the surrounding roads to identify and locate individuals present during the attack.
During the investigation, detectives identified Justice Beckford and traced his links to an address in Bexley. A week after the murder, Beckford was arrested. Further inquiries led the detectives to search another address tied to Beckford in Herne Hill. It was during this search that they recovered a black jacket, matching the one he had been wearing on the night of the murder. The jacket also had traces of Abraham’s blood on it.
Detective Sergeant Jake Good, from the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Command, expressed his condolences to Abraham’s family and friends, acknowledging the difficult trial they had to endure. He emphasised the importance of the thorough investigation and highlighted the key role played by the CCTV footage and DNA analysis of the blood found on Beckford’s clothes, which ultimately led to the jury’s guilty verdict.
Beckford now faces a lengthy prison sentence.
On the night of December 9, 2022, Abraham had been at a bar on Clapham High Street with a friend. As they left, they engaged in a conversation with a group of men and women. Unfortunately, the men in the group turned hostile, and one of them stabbed Abraham through an open car window.
In a race against time, the pair quickly drove to Kings College Hospital. Officers who happened to be dealing with a separate matter immediately administered first aid before arranging for Abraham to receive further medical attention.
Despite the efforts of the medical staff, Abraham sadly passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital. A post-mortem examination conducted the following day at Greenwich Mortuary confirmed that his cause of death was due to stab injuries.
Detectives from the Specialist Crime Command launched a comprehensive investigation. They meticulously reviewed CCTV footage from the Clapham area, successfully identifying the location of the attack and capturing images of the suspect and his associates, as well as several cars present at the scene.
Through this intensive work, Beckford was identified, leading to his subsequent arrest and charge.
Justice Beckford, 23, of Lambeth, was found guilty of murder and possession of a blade or sharply pointed article at the Old Bailey on Monday, November 13. He is set to be sentenced at the same court on November 23.
