Cyclist jailed for murdering driver who hit bike

Ahmed Chakile Gonladieu has been sentenced to life in prison

A "short-tempered" cyclist has been jailed for life with a minimum term of at least 27 years for murdering a BMW driver who knocked over his bike in south-east London.

Aspiring songwriter Alexandros Josephs, 29, was stabbed to death by Ahmed Chakile Gonladieu, 25, through his open car window on 10 May 2023.

Fatally wounded, the victim drove a short distance down the road and crashed into a line of parked cars, the Old Bailey was told.

The attacker ran off and Mr Josephs died at the scene in Ladywell, Lewisham, at 14:38 BST, jurors heard. Gonladieu was found guilty by jurors of murder and having a bladed article on Friday.

'No justification'

Sentencing Gonladieu, Judge Anuja Dhir KC said: "I cannot be sure be sure you intended to kill Mr Josephs.

"It has been suggested that there was also an element of provocation in that Mr Josephs' car hit and dragged your bicycle.

"But that cannot excuse or justify what you did next."

She noted the defendant's immaturity and history of offending, with 17 previous convictions for 32 crimes.

They included 11 convictions for violence and possession of weapons, including causing grievous bodily harm to a prison inmate.

Judge Dhir KC told the defendant: "Your offending pattern suggests, and your actions on the day of this suggests, that you are a young man who has a short temper and, when you lose your temper, you act violently."

In a victim impact statement, Mr Josephs' mother, Lana Joannou, said: "The loss has no comparison. I will never get over what has happened."

She condemned the defendant for his lack of remorse, saying: "I will never be able to forgive this person for what they have done. All I ask is for justice."

Ahmed Chakile Gonladieu killed Alexandros Josephs after his BMW dragged his bike along the road

Previously, a witness told the court they had seen Mr Josephs talking to a man on a mountain bike through the open window of the grey BMW on Malyons Road.

After a minute, the witness heard the sound of metal scraping the ground and looked out to see the car had moved, dragging the bike along the road.

The cyclist, who was wearing dark clothes, was then seen to remove a large knife from a sheath and made a stabbing motion through the car window, jurors were told.

The car moved out of view before the witness heard a bang and went outside to see the alleged knife attacker running away.

Mr Josephs' passenger got out of the car and shouted for help, jurors were told.