A Teddington man has been found guilty for the murder of his cousin in Battersea.

Jerome Bailey, 40, from Teddington was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years following the hearing at Croydon Crown Court today (Friday April 1).

Bailey has been found guilty of murdering his 40-year-old cousin, Tesfa Campbell following a trial which concluded on January 21, 2020.

On Wednesday July 3, 2019, at 14:45 Bailey stabbed Mr Campbell in the abdomen on Latchmere Road.

Mr Campbell later died in hospital.

Bailey had made the journey from Teddington to Battersea to meet Mr Campbell, the police are still unsure for the reason of their meeting.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, members of the public rushed to Mr Campbell's aid but despite their efforts and those of the attending emergency services, he succumbed to his injuries.

A murder investigation was launched and detectives were able to identify Bailey as the perpetrator through CCTV footage recovered from the area.

CCTV captured the two men, walking down Burns Road, toward Latchmere Road, just two minutes before Mr Campbell was stabbed.

In the footage, Mr Campbell is seen carrying a large, bright yellow, drawstring bag, which was no longer in his possession when he collapsed. Bailey was later caught on CCTV walking away from the scene carrying the distinctive yellow bag.

Bailey was arrested four days later on Sunday July 7 at a property in Teddington.

When police search the address, two yellow plastic drawstring bags of exactly the same kind as the one which had been taken from Mr Campbell were found in the back garden.

In the bottom of one of the yellow bags, police discovered the Oyster card used by Bailey to make his journey from Teddington to Battersea.

The court heard how the cousins had once been close, with Mr Campbell often having been willing in the past to help Bailey out, for example by lending him money. However, this had recently begun to change with Mr Campbell telling other family members he "had reached the point where he was going to cut him [Bailey] off."

Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie who leads one of the Met's murder investigation teams said:

"I am pleased that Jerome Bailey has finally been sentenced for this horrific attack on Tesfa Campbell.

"The delays in concluding this case have extended the pain that Tesfa's family and friends have had to endure but I can only hope that this 18-year prison sentence helps them all in some way.

"Bailey has never confirmed why this meeting between the two cousins ended with Tesfa losing his life at the hands of another family member. However, it is clear that Bailey's violent attack had devastating consequences which will continue to have an impact on many people's lives for years to come."