Drug dealer's killers traced by DNA on cigarettes

Two men who tried to rob a drug dealer in south London of his stash of cocaine have been convicted after they were identified from DNA left on cigarettes discarded at the scene.

Michael Afonso-Peixoto, 27, was tricked into driving to Thornton Heath in December last year by someone offering to buy drugs from him but was instead ambushed, the trial at the Old Bailey heard.

Zak Baako, 29, from Croydon was found guilty of murder and John Budal, 20, from Streatham was found guilty of manslaughter. Both defendants were also convicted of robbery.

Omari Peat, 23, from Mitcham was cleared of murder and manslaughter but found guilty of robbery.

The trial heard that when the victim arrived, along with his friend, at Mayfield Crescent a BMW car with five men inside was waiting for him.

The men had been sitting in the BMW for half an hour smoking cigarettes and throwing the stubs out of the car windows, the prosecution said.

Crispin Aylett KC said: "In fact the five men were not interested in buying drugs from Michael Afonso-Peixoto, instead they wanted to rob him of his stash of cocaine."

CCTV pictures showed one of the men armed with a large knife and there was an encounter between him and the victim, the prosecution said.

"Between the time of that first confrontation with the man with the knife and the time that Michael Afonso-Peixoto collapsed on to the driveway of a house further down the road, in all he was stabbed five times," said Mr Aylett.

Mr Afonso-Peixoto had been fatally injured by a knife wound to his heart and bled to death at the scene, the court heard.

His friend was forced out of her car which was driven away by two of the attackers.

"Those thoughtlessly discarded cigarette butts were to prove their undoing - each of them had left traces of his DNA on one or more of the cigarettes," said Mr Aylett.

"Each were interviewed by police and when confronted with the DNA evidence other than to deny having been involved in the murder, none of them had anything to say for themselves."

None of the defendants gave evidence in their defence.

The prosecution did not know if the five men ever found Michael Afonso-Peixoto's drugs, but they had robbed his friend of her car and her mobile phone at knife-point, the court heard.

Sentencing has been adjourned until 13 January.

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