Image Text:

'AMAZING GUY': Michael Adegbite

THREE TEENAGERS who plotted to rob an innocent man wanting to sell his laptop celebrated when they were cleared of his murder by laughing and ‘whooping’ in the docks.

The family of community role model and university graduate Michael Adegbite, 28, told of their heartbreak at the “injustice” as the trio responsible “laughed throughout the trial", reports The Evening Standard.

In a statement today (Feb 5), the victim’s mother, father and brother said: “We feel let down, it is an injustice. Throughout this, his attackers have shown nothing but blatant disrespect.

“They laughed throughout the trial, after the verdict. They have shown no remorse. They should have some feeling for their victim and his family. They had robbed people before. Now they will probably come out of prison quickly and do it again. There is no moral compass.”

Isaac Owen-Brady and Christopher Nzeh, both 18, and Montel Ajayi, 19 were cleared of murder yesterday (Feb 4).

The three had arranged to meet Adegbite after he posted an advert wanting to sell his MacBook laptop on marketplace Gumtree.

Adegbite, accompanied by his friend Mohammed Umer, was ambushed by the threesome who had come armed with a knife.

The two friends fought off the robbers to snatch back the laptop but later went in search of the perpetrators with the intention of identifying them and armed with an iron bar for protection.

Giving evidence in court, Phillip Omotoshi, Adegbite’s third companion he had called upon to help track down the robbers on that fateful night, said his friend was a “peaceful and fun-loving man” but had “felt violated” by the crime against him.

After engaging in a confrontation in Lackmore Road, Enfield, last year (July 19) the football coach was stabbed through the heart and bled to death in the street.

The court heard the three perpetrators had a history of Gumtree robberies as they admitted conspiracy to rob but all denied murder.

The robbers were arrested after their fingerprints were found on the laptop and Adegbite’s car window.

His family said: “Michael was an amazing guy. He was a model, a personal trainer. He was looking to build his own football brand. Things were going great for him and it was all taken away.

“They took a knife with them. They were willing to commit violence. What Michael did was a normal response, to want to go after them and try to identify them so they could be caught.

“They robbed him of his life. The verdict has come as a huge shock. We hope the judge will find some justice when they are sentenced.”

Owen-Brady was convicted of possessing a folding knife and Nzeh, who stabbed Adgebite, was convicted of manslaughter.

They will be sentenced at a later date.