A man who posed on Instagram with two Rolex watches was killed after two women used the date rape drug GHB in an attempt to rob him.
Saul Murray, 33, had been set up in a honeytrap by Surpreet Dhillon and Temidayo Awe, who seduced and stripped him.
He was found naked in a pool of blood in the communal entrance to his flat in New Town Street, Luton, after their male accomplices, Ikram Affia and Cleon Brown, had been summoned because the drug had not knocked him out.
The police were later able to identify Affia by a distinctive and rare designer Moncler coat he was wearing. It matched the one worn in the CCTV on the night of the offence.
Affia was found guilty of murder and was sentenced on Friday to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years. The others were convicted of manslaughter.
CCTV footage was played to the jury at Luton crown court. Surpreet Dhillon and Temidayo Awe are seen inside the building
Awe left to meet the two men at around 2.30am to lead them back to the flat
Saul Murray is pictured in a swimming pool while sporting a Rolex
Dhillon and Awe entered the flat at around 11.30pm on February 26 last year.
CCTV played to the jury at Luton crown court showed the women, who admitted targeting other men in a similar way, leaving the flat, followed 19 seconds later by the two men. Affia was carrying a large knife in his right hand.
The Rolex watches were fake and Murray, a father of six, had no expensive items in the flat, which he had only just occupied.
A jury found Ikem Affia, 31, of Shore Place, Hackney, London, guilty of murder.
Surpreet Dhillon, 36, of Carnarvon Road, London; Cleon Brown, 29, of King Edward’s Road, South Hackney; and Temidayo Awe, 21, of Saunders Street, Gillingham, were convicted of manslaughter.
All four defendants were convicted of conspiring to rob Murray between February 8 and February 28. Affia was also found guilty of having a blade.
Brown was jailed for 11 years, Dhillon was sentenced to 10 years and Awe was sentenced to seven years.
At the trial, prosecutor Jane Bickerstaff KC said: ‘Mr Murray can be seen just a few seconds after the men. He is hobbling and completely naked. He opens the communal door and falls over and dies.’
She said a night shift worker dialled 999 after returning home an hour and a half later and saw Murray in a pool of blood.
CCTV played to the jury at Luton crown court showed the women, who admitted targeting other men in a similar way, leaving the flat, followed 19 seconds later by the two men
Ikram Affia (pictured) was carrying a large knife in his right hand
Surpreet Dhillon, 36, was one of the two girls who seduced and stripped Saul Murray. She was sentenced to 10 years for manslaughter
Temidayo Awe, 21, was also convicted of manslaughter. She was sentenced to seven years
A post mortem found he died from a deep wound to his thigh. It penetrated his femoral artery and he bled out.
The murder took place in the very early hours of Sunday February 27 last year after Surpreet Dhillon made contact with Murray via Instagram and WhatsApp.
The four defendants travelled to Luton from London late on Saturday February 26 in a Mercedes A-class car that Brown had hired.
Murray met the two women outside his flat while the two men went off in the car and used a Drive-thru McDonalds.
She said the two women had shared brandy with Murray and ‘they gave him GHB to knock him out’.
The prosecutor said: ‘Ms Dhillon and Ms Awe admit entering the flat with GHB and giving it to him. They admit they have done this before – setting up men and stealing items from them, including watches, while those men are asleep. The men set up were also given GHB.’
A jury found Ikem Affia, 31, guilty of murder. He was sentenced on Friday to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years
Cleon Brown, 29, was convicted of manslaughter. He was jailed for 11 years
Murray was found naked in a pool of blood in the communal entrance to the flats in New Town Street, after the two men working with the women – Ikram Affia, 31, and Cleon Brown, 29 – entered his home to snatch his valuable items (Pictured: The targeted Rolexes)
CCTV of Affia and Brown in a KFC on February 22 has been released
The police were able to later identify the murderer Affia by a distinctive and rare designer Moncler coat he was wearing
She said at some point there was plainly some degree of sexual activity between the two women and Murray. Swabs from both sides of his face and neck contained DNA from both women. The GHB dose had not been strong enough to knock out Murray and the two men were contacted.
The police linked Dhillon through the Instagram contact with the victim. Awe was picked up through her social media contact with Dhillon.
Affia was wearing the £1,350 coat at the scene. Detectives discovered only 69 had been sold in the UK. Telematics in the car linked it to a KFC in London.
When she gave evidence Dhillon admitted targeting six men in similar honeytraps between October 2021 and February 2022. One victim lost £32,000. She said Awe had been involved on four occasions.
In a victim personal statement, the victim’s father Colin Murray described Saul as a wonderful son. He said he had watched his son die on CCTV.
He said: ‘It is the last thing I think about before going to sleep and first thing I think about when I wake up.’
Saul Murray (pictured), 33, had been targeted by Surpreet Dhillon, 35, and Temidayo Awe, 21, who seduced and stripped him after meeting up at his Luton home
Pictured: Investigators on the scene following Murray’s murder last February
Pictured: A police cordon outside Murray’s property in New Town Street, Luton
Pictured: Tributes left outside Murray’s home
Judge Michael Simon said Murray’s life had been ‘cut brutally short’.
He said: ‘Nothing this court says or does can possibly repair the cavernous void in the hearts and lives of those to whom Saul Murray meant so much.’
The judge added: ‘Something went wrong with the primary plan. Exactly what went wrong is beyond the court’s capacity to be sure of within the available evidence.’
He said Dhillon had lived a ‘predatory lifestyle’ by targeting men on social media.
He said: ‘Something that seemed like an easy money game had the potential to go wrong.’
After the sentence, Detective Inspector Dale Mepstead, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: ‘This was clearly a planned attack facilitated by Dhillon and Awe and carried out by Affia and Brown.
‘It’s obvious from the way the two women used a sedative substance on Murray and the fact Affia was armed with a knife that they were prepared to get what they wanted at any cost – which sadly was Murray’s life.’
He added: ‘This was a very lengthy and complex investigation, which involved scrutinising hours of CCTV, phone data, vehicle telematics and other evidence to place each of them at Murray’s flat at the time of the offence.
‘I hope that the knowledge that all four people involved in this horrific incident will be locked up for a very long time can bring some justice to Saul’s loved ones.’
The case is set to be featured in the documentary 24 Hours in Police Custody later this month.
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