Man, 22, jailed for life for murdering plasterer

The court heard Kozma Papa stabbed Bledi Petraj to death after he refused to shake his hand

A 22-year-old man has been jailed for life for murdering a man who refused his handshake, a court has heard.

Kozma Papa, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire previously admitted murder after stabbing plasterer Bledi Petraj 13 times in Southgate, north London, on 4 February.

Sentencing him at the Old Bailey on Friday, Judge Mark Lucraft KC described the attack as a "violent confrontation" that took place after Mr Petraj, 37, from Essex, snubbed him.

Papa was ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years and was also handed a nine-month concurrent sentence for possession of a bladed weapon.

During the trial the court was told both men were known to each other previously and they had been involved in a scuffle at a café at about 13:15 GMT.

The two then went to Queen Elizabeth's Drive roughly 45 minutes later, each carrying large knives.

"Each man (aimed) blows at the other," prosecution barrister Julian Evans KC told the court, before Mr Petraj lost control of his knife and Papa picked it up.

Papa advanced "with a knife in each hand" towards Mr Petraj, who had fallen on to his back, and began repeatedly stabbing him, the barrister said.

Mr Petraj died in hospital from his wounds that afternoon.

Birthdays 'filled with tears'

In a victim impact statement, Mr Petraj's sister said: "I wake up in the morning, trying to convince myself it was just a nightmare.

"We can't celebrate anymore.

"Every family birthday is filled with tears because Bledi is missing."

His parents added Mr Petraj was "in the wrong place at the wrong time, facing a monster with a knife in hand, striking mercilessly".

In his defence statement, Papa accepted some previous involvement in drug dealing.

His barrister Tyrone Smith KC argued there was a "background of animosity" between the two men but Papa made "attempts… to extricate himself" from the interaction.

Addressing Papa, Judge Lucraft KC said he accepted the defendant had shown remorse and added: "Those who know you are shocked that you have been involved in such grave violence."

The court heard Papa is an Albanian national who entered the UK illegally in September 2022. The Home Office has withdrawn his asylum application.