Two men guilty of murdering Halloween reveller after row in nightclub

Two men have been found guilty of carrying out the murder of a Halloween reveller after a row in a nightclub.

Givani Espuet, 21, died from a stab to the heart during the attack outside the Aura Lounge nightclub in Wembley, north London, on October 30 2022.

In all, he suffered 10 stab wounds inflicted by two knives, the Old Bailey was told.

Following a trial, Kadeem Hibbert, 29, and Sahid Kpaka, 27, were found guilty of murder.

Theo Simon, 33, Bruce Hutchinson, 29, and Andre Brown-Watson, 36, were found not guilty of murder and manslaughter. Courtney Forrester, 25, was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.

These defendants stabbed an unarmed man ... They acted together with one single purpose

Hibbert, Hutchinson and Brown-Watson were also convicted of violent disorder, to which Forrester and Kpaka had pleaded guilty.

Simon was found not guilty of all charges.

Opening the case at the Old Bailey, prosecutor Tony Badenoch KC said a “furious row” broke out inside the club and “spilled out on to the street”.

Hibbert, who was celebrating his birthday with friends at the venue, had booked a table.

He began arguing with Mr Espuet and his group at about 2am, it is alleged.

When the two groups went outside, “physical violence erupted … punches were thrown and scuffles broke out”, Mr Badenoch said.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage of the men fighting and shouting in the street outside the club.

Hibbert punched Mr Espuet before lunging towards his chest with a knife, the court was told.

Brown-Watson was standing next to Hibbert at the time and would have seen he had a knife, prosecutors allege.

Simon was seen on CCTV taking a knife from the waistband of his trousers before unlocking the blade and lunging towards Mr Espuet, appearing to stab towards him, jurors were told.

The group chased Mr Espuet along the road outside the venue, attacking him in full view of queuing traffic and an ambulance before “isolating” him between two parked cars, the court was told.

Mr Espuet collapsed to the ground while the group repeatedly “kicked, punched and stabbed him”.

“These defendants stabbed an unarmed man” before fleeing the scene by car and on foot, Mr Badenoch said.

“They acted together with one single purpose.”

The crew from the ambulance, which was in the area by chance, immediately began attempts to help Mr Espuet but he died at the scene from blood loss.

Hibbert, of no fixed address, Hutchinson, of no fixed address, Forrester, of Luton, Kpaka, of Wood Green, and Brown-Watson, of Haringey, will be sentenced on a date yet to be fixed.