Man Found Guilty of West Brompton Murder
'Violent and manipulative' killer established total control of victim's life
Mohammed Assri pleaded not guilty to murder charge
A 47-year-old man has been convicted of the murder of a man in West Brompton in a flat off the Fulham Road.
Mohammed Assri, of no fixed abode, was found guilty of killing 55-year-old James Dowdell following a trial at Isleworth Court on Monday, 7 September. He will be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 20 November.
On Monday, 17 February, Assri made a frantic call to the emergency services reporting that he had returned to an address in St Mark’s Grove, SW10 to find Mr Dowdell dead.
When paramedics arrived they found the victim had suffered severe head injuries and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Assri was arrested and was found in possession of Mr Dowdell’s personal items including his bank card and a large sum of blood stained cash.
Detectives began an investigation and found the relationship between Assri and his victim to be unclear. Assri claimed that his name was Adam and that Mr Dowdell, who was described in court as frail, was his uncle.
Assri had been homeless prior to moving into the flat in late January. He quickly established control, seeking to exclude Mr Dowdell’s carers. He took over his finances, using his Halifax debit card regularly, and pawned a valuable watch-strap belonging to Mr. Dowdell.
James Dowdell
The police discovered that in an attempt to give himself an alibi, Assri lied about his whereabouts in the hours before Mr. Dowdell’s death. He claimed that he had been at his sister’s house at 4.45pm that day and later returned to the flat, performing CPR for 30 mins before calling the ambulance at 6.45pm Officers found that CCTV cameras showed he had been in the vicinity of his sister’s house 12 hours before he claimed and Mr Dowdell’s pacemaker registered a failing heart nearly two hours before an ambulance was called.
A post-mortem examination revealed bruising on the victim’s wrists and marks to his hand suggesting that he had tried to defend himself from the fatal attack. The cause of death was given as blunt force trauma and compression of the neck.
The court heard Assri insist that James’s injuries were sustained by falling and were self-inflicted. This was disproved by pathologists and medical evidence.
St Mark's Grove. Google Streetview
Detective Inspector Maria Green from Specialist Crime said, “I would like to thank the witnesses who spoke in court for their courage in giving evidence.
“Assri is a violent and manipulative man who has taken no responsibility for his actions, using his appearance at court as an attempt to dishonour the memory and life of James. I hope that James’s family and friends can draw some strength from seeing justice done.”
If you are a victim of domestic abuse or are worried about someone else please have the confidence to approach police or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. It doesn’t matter what your lifestyle is, we will help.
If you need urgent help and cannot talk, dial 999 and press 55 to let the operator know the call has not been made in error.
September 7, 2020