Man jailed for murder after stabbing 32-year-old to death over debt

A man who fatally stabbed a 32-year-old over debt has been jailed for life, police have confirmed. Fawaz Abdulkareem, 36, must serve at least 17 years in prison for the murder of Daniel Manuel in his Vauxhall flat last July.

The Metropolitan Police detailed the events following Abdulkareem’s sentencing on Friday. Mr Manuel was fatally stabbed at Abdulkareem’s Bondway home on July 5 last year after the pair spent the night in a nightclub. They returned to the apartment with a group of friends early in the morning.

Abdulkareem attacked Mr Manuel during an argument about money, stabbing him three times with a kitchen knife. Following the attack, Abdulkareem left the flat, tried to hide the gun in his waistband and used his T-shirt to conceal it, and reported Mr Manuel’s injuries to staff in the common lobby.

Realizing that emergency services were on the way, Abdulkareem tried to destroy the knife by throwing it from the 14th floor window. However, responding police officers noticed Mr. Manuel’s blood on his clothes and arrested him at the scene.

Abdulkareem claimed he had acted in self-defense, but police said the nature of Mr. Manuel’s injuries indicated he was most likely stabbed while his back was turned.

Mr Manuel’s wife, Zulal, said: “Daniel wasn’t just my husband, he was my partner, my home, my emotional security and the person I built my entire life around.

“Losing him so violently and suddenly completely shattered my world.

“This loss affected every aspect of my life emotionally, physically and financially, and I am still trying to survive the aftermath.”

Detective Inspector Luke Hampton, who led the Met investigation, said: “Daniel was killed in a moment of extreme violence by a man he thought was a friend.

“Abdulkareem tried to deceive the police, recklessly threw the murder weapon from the 14th floor window of a skyscraper and brutally claimed that it was Daniel who attacked him.

“Detectives saw through his lies and worked hard to secure a conviction. Abdulkareem’s claims of self-defense were rejected by the jury.

“Our thoughts are with Daniel’s family and we hope this sentence gives them some peace of mind.”

Police said Abdulkareem, of Bondway, Southwark, was unanimously convicted at Croydon Crown Court on May 21 of murder and possession of a bladed instrument in a public place.

He was sentenced to at least 17 years in prison on Friday, police added.