Five men have been jailed for their roles in dismembering and burying the body of a murder victim and murdering another man in south and west London within days.

Jazz musician William Algar, 53, also known as ‘Blaise’ to friends and family was murdered in December 2019.

His body was dismembered in the bathtub of his home in Barnes before his arms and legs were buried in a nearby nature reserve. His head and torso were found by police at his home address the following month after he was reported missing by his mother.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Tuesday (August 17) that Emeka Dawuda-Wodu, 19, Simon Emmons, 40, Janayo Lucima, 19, and Marc Harding, 45, were convicted of perverting the course of justice in relation to the dismemberment and disposing of Algar’s body parts between 16 December and 20 December 2019.

Emmons and Dawuda-Wodu along with Zimele Dube, 33, were also convicted of murdering 35-year-old Ebrima Cham in Hounslow following an ongoing drugs dispute on 19 December 2019. He was attacked while he was sleeping.

In a separate trial, Dawuda-Wodu was also convicted of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm for his part in an unprovoked stabbing in January 2020, where a man was left with life-threatening injuries in Barnes at the time.

Each of the five defendants were sentenced at the Old Bailey on Monday (August 16):

  • Emeka Dawuda-Wodu was sentenced to custody for life with a minimum term of 31 years.
  • Simon Emmons was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 31 years.
  • Janayo Lucima was sentenced to three years and three months.
  • Zimele Dube was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years.
  • Marc Harding was sentenced to three years and three months imprisonment.

Algar’s home was being used as a base to sell drugs in the months leading up to his death. It is believed he died as a result of being unable to pay back drug money owed to Dawuda-Wodu and his associates.

The jazz trumpet player suffered with mental health-related issues and drug misuse, and was last seen alive on December 1 2019, when he was seen on CCTV cycling in Barnes.

His body parts were later recovered with him wearing the same clothes he was last seen in. No-one has been held accountable for his murder.

Cham had been staying at an address in Hounslow when Emmons, Dawuda-Wodu and Dube forced their way in and stabbed him to death. He suffered 12 stab injuries and died at the scene.

Emma Currie, from the CPS, said of the cases:

"These men have put two families through the most painful of experiences for the sake of drug conflicts. Their actions were violent, calculated and have tormented these families. The prosecution was able to present CCTV evidence, DNA evidence, strong testimony from brave witnesses alongside phone evidence to convict these callous individuals.

"Dawuda-Wodu and Emmons were responsible for the grotesque act of dismembering Mr Algar’s body. When they were finished, they put a suitcase containing the body parts into the boot of an unsuspecting taxi driver who would drop them close to the burial site. Lucima was also party to the dismembering of Mr Algar’s body – having gone to buy cleaning products for the activity. Harding too had played a part – having dug the holes in which to bury the human remains.

The prosecution was able to present to the jury phone evidence which showed Emmons had accessed a web page about a scene in the television series ‘Breaking Bad’ in which the two main characters sought to dispose of a body in an acid bath.

"Dube, Emmons and Dawuda-Wodu took part in a ferocious pre-meditated attack on Mr Cham. He had been sleeping at the time and stood no chance against these armed attackers. Despite denying their involvement in this murder, the jury saw through the defendants’ lies and convicted them.

"I hope these convictions provide some sense of justice to the family and friends of William Algar and Ebrima Cham. Our thoughts remain with them at this time."