Three jailed for life for murder of unarmed father

Three young men have been given life sentences for murdering an unarmed father on a north London estate with an "arsenal of knives" and a hospital crutch.

Benito Ramirez Kones, 20, Carlos Akum Metumbe, 22, and Luiggi Perelli Santana, 22, stabbed and beat Gregory Catillo Volquez outside in a car park out of sight from CCTV cameras on 13 January last year.

The murderers "went into the night" with Metumbe and Santana fleeing the UK, the court heard.

Sobs were heard from the public gallery of Southwark Crown Court as Santana and Kones were given minimum term of 23 years in prison, while Metumbe was jailed for at least 22 years.

Delivering his sentence, the judge said: "This was a truly wicked crime committed by very dangerous men.

"In my judgment, none of you have shown any real remorse for what you did."

The judge added: "The violence inflicted on (Mr Volquez) in the car park was grossly disproportionate to any threat he could have posed."

The court heard that Volquez had spent the evening with his friend in south London clubs.

Later, they travelled north to Haringey and went into a flat on the Tiverton Estate, where they spent 30 to 40 minutes.

After walking out to the car park, the men were chased and attacked by the defendants.

Volquez was later pronounced dead, having sustained 22 "sharp force injuries".

Evidence also showed he had been stamped on and kicked in the face by more than one person.

Four knives, including a machete and a 'Rambo' knife, were later found hidden in two flats on the estate, the court was told.

Kones, of De Beauvoir Estate, Hackney, east London, was arrested in Swansea. Metumbe, of Lower Clapton Road, and Santana, of Brixton Hill, fled to Spain and were extradited later that year.

The court heard that two of the defendants already had a string of convictions between them, including possession of a bladed article in a public place.

At the time of the attack, Kones was serving a suspended sentence for possession of a locking knife in October 2024.

Santana was on court bail after failing to attend a November 2024 hearing for having a "machete with tape around the handle" in his trousers – similar to the one used in the murder, the court was told.

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