Omar Wilson, 32, was convicted of the murder of Mussie Imnetu at the Old Bailey after punching and kicking him during an altercation. Wilson claimed he acted in self-defence.
CCTV showed him approach the 41-year-old chef and headbutt him outside the Dr Power restaurant in Queensway, near west London’s Notting Hill Carnival on 26 August last year, the court heard.
Around a minute later, Wilson punched Mr Imnetu five times in the head, continued to repeatedly punch him while he was on his hands and knees, and then kicked him in the head.
Mr Imnetu, who worked under star chefs Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, was said to have been “heavily intoxicated” at the time and died from his injuries four days later in hospital.
‘Victim was hit in head over dozen times’
Prosecutor Jacob Hallam KC had said: “The defendant had, by that point, struck him to his head more than a dozen times. Mr Imnetu had struck the defendant not once.
“At the end of that altercation, Mr Imnetu was dying on the ground and the defendant left and went clubbing in the Ministry of Sound.”
As nearby officers went to help the chef, Wilson walked away from the scene. He dropped his sunglasses and keys as he left.
‘There’s a monster in me’
The court heard that after the assault, Wilson told an associate he “crossed the line” and said in a message: “There’s a monster in me, man, and it’s just like sometimes it comes out.
“And I think I’ve messed up now, I’ve messed up, everything’s finished.”
When asked how Notting Hill Carnival was in another message, the court heard that he replied: “Can’t lie. I did the hands ting [sic] and I think it’s a manslaughter,” jurors heard.
Wilson’s defence
After his arrest on 28 August 2024, Wilson told police officers that he had struck Mr Imnetu in “self-defence”.
He also claimed that the chef was behaving erratically, harassing girls, and had a bottle.
Speaking in court, Wilson said he felt “trapped” and “scared” at the time because he believed Mr Imnetu was holding a broken bottle – which turned out not to be the case.
A jury found Wilson, of Leytonstone, guilty of murder on Thursday. He was remanded into custody and will be sentenced on Friday.
Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie said Mr Imnetu “was in London for a few days to help train his colleagues and went out that evening to enjoy the post-Notting Hill Carnival atmosphere, where tragically he was violently assaulted”.
Samantha Yelland, of the CPS, also said: “Omar Wilson’s savage violence ultimately took the life of a much-loved man, and the Crown Prosecution Service was determined that he should face justice.”
