Five men jailed for life over Greek tourist murder

Antonis Antoniadis was stabbed when he resisted being robbed

Five men have been given life sentences for murdering a Greek tourist who they followed from a West End club and stabbed when he resisted being robbed.

Antonis Antoniadis, 26, was targeted and followed by the men, who are all from Camden, after leaving 32 Portland Place nightclub in central London in the early hours of 7 July 2024.

Shian Johnson, 26, will have to serve at least 28 years before he is eligible for parole.

Sofian Alliche, 20, was handed at least 25 years; his 18-year-old brother Amin Alliche was given 22 years; Joshua McCorquodale, 21, was given 26 years; and Alfie Hipple, 18, was detained with a minimum term of 23 years. They were all convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob.

During their Old Bailey trial, the court heard how Mr Antoniadis was targeted by the men as someone to rob as he had a Lacoste bag and a Versace watch.

Before the defendants were sentenced at the same court, there was laughter in the dock when a man in the public gallery shouted out that proceedings were "corrupt", adding: "Keep you heads up, don't let the system break you!"

Sofian Alliche, Shian Johnson, Joshua McCorquodale, Amin Alliche and Alfie Hipple (l-r) were found guilty of murder on 1 August

Judge Rebecca Trowler KC warned against further outbursts, telling the defendants: "I am observing the majority of you - not all - laughing and demonstrating complete failure to respect this process and indeed the damage you have caused."

Judge Trowler said statements given by the victim's family and friends outlined their "unimaginable distress".

The judge said: "By all accounts Antonis was a kind, caring, loving, funny and sociable young man described by his friends in particular as a true gentleman.

"Antonis was plainly deeply loved and his death has taken a heavy toll on his family in different ways, as well as his friends."

His parents, Stella and Yiannis Antoniadis, said the "unjust and inhumane" loss of their son had left them "devastated".

"There is nothing worse in the world than losing your child, especially in the sudden and horrific way that this happened to our Antonis," they said in a statement issued through the Metropolitan Police.

"Justice is very important for our child's vindication but especially to prevent other parents from finding themselves in our tragic position," they added.

Hoods and balaclavas

The court heard how Greek printing firm office worker Mr Antoniadis had come on holiday to London for a week with two friends.

In the early hours of the day he was killed, the tourists had ended up in the club, close to Oxford Circus, and did not leave until after 08:00 BST.

Mr Antoniadis and his friends were staying at an address in New Cross, south-east London, and booked an Uber to travel home.

The men's trial heard that the friends had no idea the Uber they were in was being followed.

As the tourists walked the short distance to the front door on arriving at the property they were staying in, Mr Antoniadis was approached by four figures in hoods and balaclavas. The fifth man stayed in the car to prepare for their getaway.

'Brutal murder'

The jury heard how Mr Antoniadis struggled as his attackers tried to take his bag, and at one point managed to hit one of them with a brandy bottle he was still holding from his night out.

But he was surrounded by the four robbers who punched and kicked him on the ground and then stabbed him in the chest and thigh.

Mr Antoniadis died in hospital two weeks later on 21 July.

Following the sentencing, Det Ch Insp Kate Blackburn described the murder investigation as "particularly challenging and complex" due to a lack of CCTV footage and the movement of the defendants' vehicle.

"I would like to thank in particular Antonis' friends, who had witnessed his brutal murder and returned to the UK to give their evidence," she said.

"The sentences today reflect the severity of the actions of the defendants on that Sunday morning."