Five Men Sentenced to Life for Killing Greek Tourist in London

Antonis Antoniadis, a 26-year-old Greek tourer was fatally stabbed successful London. Credit: wp paarz / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

Five men person been sentenced to beingness imprisonment for murdering 26-year-old Greek national, Antonis Antoniadis, who was visiting London.

The men followed Antoniadis from a cardinal nightlife country successful the aboriginal hours of July 7, 2024, and stabbed him erstwhile helium resisted an attempted robbery.

Sentences and minimum terms

The 5 men were sentenced arsenic follows:

Shian Johnson, volition service astatine slightest 28 years earlier becoming eligible for parole. Sofian Alliche received a minimum of 25 years, portion his 18-year-old member Amin Alliche was fixed 22 years.

Joshua McCorquodale received 26 years, and Alfie Hipple was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years. All 5 were convicted of execution and conspiracy to rob.

Family reacts to tragic loss

Statements from the victim’s household described their “unimaginable distress.” Judge Trowler noted that Antoniadis was “kind, caring, loving, funny, and sociable” and described by friends arsenic a “true gentleman.”

His parents, Stella and Yiannis Antoniadis, said the “unjust and inhumane” nonaccomplishment of their lad near them “devastated.” They added, “Justice is precise important for our child’s vindication but particularly to forestall different parents from uncovering themselves successful our tragic position.”

How did the Greek tourer successful London extremity up brutally murdered?

During the proceedings astatine the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, the events of that nighttime unfolded successful detail.

On July 7 past year, Antoniadis and his friends were astatine a nightclub adjacent Oxford Circus, 1 of London’s astir fashionable areas. Outside the club, a pack of 5 men—Sofian Alliche, 20, his member Amin Alliche, 18, Shian Johnson, 26, Joshua McCorquodale, 20, and Alfie Hipple, 18—were driving astir successful a stolen car, connected the hunt for idiosyncratic to rob.

According to prosecutors, the young Greek tourer caught their attention. The luxury container and a £1,300 ($1,700) ticker helium was wearing marked him retired arsenic a “suitable target”, according to the British prosecutors. The pack past started pursuing the unfortunate man. They drove down Antoniadis’ Uber for implicit fractional an hr and 8 miles crossed the city, each the mode backmost to their accommodation successful New Cross.

When Antoniadis and his friends got retired of their Uber to spell backmost to their accommodation, 4 of the 5 men, covering their heads with hoods and balaclavas, pounced connected Antoniadis and his friends. The 5th antheral stayed successful the car, acceptable to marque a speedy getaway erstwhile the robbery was over.

The London tribunal heard that the gang’s archetypal purpose was simply to bargain Antoniadis’ container and tally away. But erstwhile helium bravely fought back, striking 1 of the robbers with a brandy vessel helium was holding, the concern escalated dramatically. As 1 of Antoniadis’ friends aboriginal testified, the onslaught became “really violent”.

The 4 men attacked Antoniadis, punching and kicking him to the crushed earlier stabbing him successful the thorax and close thigh successful an unjustified, blood-thirsty attack. The coiled to his thigh proved to beryllium catastrophic for the young Greek tourist, severing his femoral artery and causing monolithic humor loss. The attackers past fled successful the waiting car, taking lone his stolen phone with them.

Despite being rushed to hospital, Antonis Antoniadis’ beingness could not beryllium saved. He tragically died from his injuries 2 weeks later, connected July 21, aft warring generously for his life.