A murder victim who had posed on Instagram with two Rolex watches was drugged by two women who had gone to rob him, a jury heard on Monday, November 21, 2022.
Saul Murray, 33, ended up naked in a pool of blood in a communal area outside his flat after being set up by Surpreet Dhillon and Temidayo Awe, who had sedated him with GHB.
The women, who admit targeting men in a similar way on other occasions, called on their male accomplices Ikram Affia and Cleon Brown to enter the victim’s flat in Luton.
Once inside Mr Murray’s flat in New Town Street he was fatally injured. CCTV played to the jury at Luton Crown Court showed the two women leaving the flats followed 19 seconds later by the two males.
A large knife was in the right hand of Affia. 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 returned home to the flats an hour and a half later and saw Mr Murray’s leg covered in blood.
He dialled 999. Surpreet Dhillon, 35, of Carnarvon Road, London; Cleon Brown, 29, of King Edward’s Road, South Hackney; Temidayo Awe, 21, of Saunders Street, Gillingham and Ikem Affia, 31, of Shore Place, Hackney, London deny murdering Saul Murray on February 27, this year and conspiring to rob him between February 8 and February 28, this year.
Ikem Affia also denies having a blade.
Opening the case Ms Bickerstaff said the murder took place in the very early hours of Sunday 27 February.
She said: “The prosecution case is that Surpreet Dhillon made contact with Saul Murray via Instagram on 9. February after he posted pics of himself wearing two Rolex watches. The contact then moved to WhatsApp.”
The four defendants travelled to Luton from London late on Saturday 26th February in a Mercedes A class car that Brown had hired for a month.
The prosecutor said: “The four defendants travelled to Luton late on Saturday 26th February. They went to steal items from Mr Murray that they believed were of high value. They were mob handed and armed. They were armed Ikem Affia had a knife.
“They were aware that Saul Murray would be present in his home and could not have expected he would give up his watches and other high value items he had without any resistance.
“They agreed to use force and threats and agreed to the use of a sedative substance GHB that was given to Mr Murray to knock him out and render him to sleep.”
The jury was shown CCTV of Mr Murray meeting the two women outside his flat. The two male defendants went off in the car and used a Drive-thru McDonalds. Samples taken from the victim showed he had drunk alcohol that would have given him a “mild degree of intoxication.”
He had also consumed cannabis. The prosecutor said: “Traces of GHB which has potent sleep inducing properties was found. It is only prescribed in limited circumstances and is more usually obtained in the illicit drugs market.
“The level found in Mr Murray would support the scenario that it had been administrated some time before he died.”
She said it was the prosecution’s case that the two women had shared brandy with Mr 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.”
She said at some point there was plainly some degree of sexual activity between the two women and Mr Murray. Swabs from both side of his face and neck contained DNA from both women.
Case proceeding
