A man from east London faces life in prison after he stabbed a stranger to death outside a nightclub in Stratford.
Hamza Kamali, 29, was found guilty of murdering 38-year-old Saley Beya outside a venue in Romford Road in the early hours of Saturday, August 10 last year.
Saley and his friends had attended a party in Stratford on the evening of August 9 before they decided to head to a nightclub to finish off the night at around 2.30am.
Around an hour after they arrived, one of Saley’s friends was involved in an altercation outside the venue with a group of men known to Kamali.
Kamali arrived at the scene shortly after and following a brief interaction with Saley, he stabbed him in the leg.
Saley ran from the scene but he was pursued by Kamali who kicked out at him several times as he tried to get away from him.
Kamali eventually gave up on the pursuit and returned to Romford Road while Saley collapsed in the street.
Emergency services attended and tried to stop the bleeding, but Saley went into cardiac arrest on his way to hospital.
He remained in a critical condition for nearly three weeks before he sadly died on August 29.
Detective Superintendent Kelly Allen said: “Saley’s family and loved ones have endured incredible pain and suffering over this past year and I am thinking of them today as they process this outcome.
“Kamali’s actions that night were violent and deliberate. He went out armed with a knife — clearly intent on causing harm.
“We will never know what prompted his interaction with Saley, but it is clear he is a very dangerous individual with little regard for human life and I’m pleased the jury were able to recognise the threat he poses to the public.”
Following the incident, Kamali returned to his home address, but after 30 minutes he reappeared from the property wearing different clothes and carrying a full plastic bag which he was then seen to discard. The bag was never recovered, police said.
Kamali was later arrested and officers searched his home where they found a pair of bloodstained trainers, later identified to be his own.
He had a noticeable injury to his hand — a wound CCTV had shown him tending to with a tissue in the immediate aftermath of the stabbing.
Blood from this injury was also found at the crime scene. It is believed he injured himself with his knife in the course of attacking Saley.
Kamali was convicted of murder and possession of an offensive weapon. He is due to appear at the same court for sentencing on Thursday, July 24.
Abdi Ulusow, 28 and Edson Bernardo, 26, appeared at the Old Bailey on July 3 where they pleaded guilty to affray and possession of an offensive weapon in connection with the incident.
Both will also be sentenced at the same court on July 24.
