Life Imprisonment for Murderer Identified by Designer Manbag
By Ben Freeman.
At the Old Bailey, after a five‐week trial, 21‐year‐old Dualla Abdi and his accomplice, 24‐year‐old Ben Laing, have been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years for the fatal stabbing of 24‐year‐old Tyreece Scott in Hounslow, west London, on January 16.
Abdi, who fatally stabbed Mr Scott shortly before 1am while carrying a distinctive Louis Vuitton manbag, failed to discard the accessory even after removing his clothes. The bag ultimately proved crucial in identifying him at the scene.
Judge John Hillen KC delivered a measured verdict, stating:
“The facts of the case bring to light yet again two crimes often overlapping that can properly be called a plague on society in general and this great city and its suburbs in particular – drug dealing and knife crime.”“Yet again a judge has to sentence young men who took away the life of another young man with a knife,” he said.“Nothing I can do or say can bring back Tyreece Scott. No sentence can place a value on his life.”
He further noted,
Mr Scott was “no angel” but had been “vulnerable and defenceless” when he was attacked and left to die “alone and scared”.The judge added: “We don’t know how or why and whether he would turn his life around. He had qualities that indicated that possibility – he was a young man who was caring and full of life.”“He was not acting in an aggressive manner or posed a threat to you.”
Family members also testified. His mother, Lynette Phillip, declared:
“Tyreece was 6ft 3in and despite his size he was the gentlest person I know. He was loving, kind, loyal and funny, and he had the most amazing cheeky smile.“Ty was only 24 years old and he had his whole life ahead of him. He had so many dreams and aspirations.”
Pointing to a photograph of his coffin, she added:
“This picture is the outcome of what carrying a knife leads to and the daily consequences of knife crime.“I hope that one day no other person will have to feel the way I do and have to bury their child before their time because of callous and cowardly people like Dualla Abdi and Ben Laing.”
Addressing the defendants from the dock, his grandmother, Irma Phillip, observed:
“Tyreece was a beautiful soul, full of kindness and love. He was a bright young man with a future full of promise who should have had the chance of outlive me, to grow and to thrive.“But because of your senseless and cruel actions that future was taken from him, and from all of us who loved him so deeply.”
Prosecutor Zoe Johnson KC explained that the background to the murder was linked to drug dealing, noting:
“We will never know the precise reason why Tyreece Scott died that night. There is no evidence that he knew the other defendants or had met them before.“Drug dealing is an ugly, competitive business in which dealers protect their ‘turf’ at any cost. It was Tyreece Scott’s exposure to that world which led to his murder.”
Compelling evidence—including CCTV, mobile phone data, and a GPS tracker on the attacker’s hire car—helped establish the sequence of events. Abdi was seen at the time wearing a black hooded jacket emblazoned with a “Trapstar” logo alongside the Louis Vuitton manbag with its distinctive buckle. Although he discarded his outfit after the stabbing, the retention of the manbag proved decisive.
Ms Johnson asserted that Abdi and Laing had operated in concert. In his evidence, Laing maintained he was unaware of Abdi’s intention to stab Mr Scott and did not participate in the act. In mitigation, his barrister Naeem Mian KC described him as an “immature idiot” who, when questioned on his role, admitted:
“He has gone big right at the very beginning, according to the jury’s verdict. He will have to live with that.”
Abdi, who had been previously convicted in 2022 for having a blade, was in breach of his suspended sentence at the time of the offence. Additionally, Reda Mohamed, 24, from Hounslow, and Morgan Allen, 29, from Chertsey, Surrey, were each convicted of perverting the course of justice and have been sentenced to four-and-a-half years.
Well, that’s all for now. But until our next article, please stay tuned, stay informed, but most of all stay safe, and I’ll see you then.
Bénédict Tarot Freeman
Editor-at-Large
VPN City-Desk
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