Allan Isichei: Man convicted of killing ex Wasps rugby player

Allan Isichei played for Wasps in the 1970s and 1980s and was a vice-president of the club

A mentally ill man has been convicted of fatally stabbing a former Wasps rugby player.

Grandfather-of-five Allan Isichei, 69, died after being knifed in Southall, west London, in August last year.

He was on his way home from his local pub when he became involved in a struggle with Gurjeet Lall, 36.

Lall, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2008, denied murder but was found guilty of manslaughter by diminished responsibility.

Mr Isichei played for Wasps in the 1970s and 1980s and was a vice-president of the club.

The trial at Inner London Crown Court heard Mr Isichei had drunk a single bottle of beer at the Plough Inn before making his way home at about 18:30.

He passed Lall, of Vine Cottages, St Mary's Avenue South, who was leaning against a wall in St Mary's Avenue South.

Gurjeet Lall was not in court for the verdict

CCTV footage played to the jury showed the pair had become "involved in conversation" and, as Mr Isichei began to walk away, further words were exchanged and Lall spat on the pavement.

In his evidence, Lall claimed the men became involved in a "scuffle" during which he pulled a knife from his pocket.

The two men "fell on top of each other" and, while they were wrestling over the knife, Mr Isichei was fatally injured, the defence argued.

Lall said he could not remember the last time he took medication for his schizophrenia, but that he stopped "way before" spring 2018 and had taken it "here and there" since.

He did not attend the court on Monday, with presiding Judge Usha Karu earlier telling jurors not to "hold it against him that he is not here".

Lall will be sentenced at a date to be fixed in December pending psychiatric reports.

Mr Isichei was found in St Mary's Avenue South in Southall

Following the verdict, a statement from Mr Isichei's family called him "one of the kindest, funniest, gentlest, hardworking and loving person you could ever wish to meet".

"A man with genuine values, with a huge heart who would do anything he could to help those around him, be that family, friends or members of the community," the family said.

"The impact on us all who have been in attendance, including his 93-year-old mother, his wife, brothers, sisters, children and grandchildren, has been truly awful."