202400718 B1 - [2025] EWCA Crim 959

Shortly before 5.00pm on 26 November 2022, Charlie Bartolo was riding his motorbike, in convoy with two friends, along Sewell Road in Abbey Wood, South East London. The appellant was one of five young men in a Nissan Qashqai being driven in the opposite direction. Hussain Bah was driving that car, Sammie Shallangwa was in the front seat, Alagie Jobe, Kearne Solanke and the appellant were in the rear. As the car came to pass Bartolo and his friends, Bah swerved across the road and drove into Bartolo, who was thrown into the air and landed on the pavement to the left side of the vehicle. Shallangwa, Jobe and Solanke alighted from the vehicle and attacked Bartolo with large knives.

Bah and the appellant got out of the right hand side of the vehicle. Bah was armed with a knife and moved around the front of the car as if to go and join in the attack. The appellant remained on the right hand side of the vehicle, before getting into the driver’s seat where he kept the footbrake depressed and engine running.

During the course of the attack, Shallangwa mistakenly stabbed Solanke.

Following the attack, Bah, Shallangwa, Jobe and Solanke got back in the car. The appellant drove the car a short distance but stopped because Bartolo’s motorbike was stuck underneath it. The appellant got out of the car and removed the motorbike. Bah then got into the driver’s seat and drove the car away with the other four, including the appellant, still in it.

It soon became apparent that Solanke had been badly injured. The car was driven to a nearby address on Titmuss Avenue, Thamesmead, which belonged to an acquaintance of the group. The group dispersed. The appellant remained with Solanke. He phoned 999 using Bah’s handset, gave a false name and stated, “we don’t need police”.

Emergency services attended the scenes at Sewell Road to attend Bartolo and Titmuss Avenue to attend Solanke.

Bartolo was taken by ambulance to hospital. His injuries were not survivable and his life was pronounced extinct at 18.24 hours. He had suffered eight separate stab wounds, to his back, left arm, left leg, and to the top of his head. The wound to his head was 8 centimetres long on the surface; it had caused a full thickness cut through his skull and had penetrated his brain, causing contusions to the brain and subarachnoid haemorrhage. It was this traumatic brain injury which caused his death.

The London Air Ambulance attended the scene at Titmuss Avenue. Solanke’s life could not be saved, and life was pronounced extinct at 18.15 hours. Solanke suffered a single stab wound. The angle of penetration was downwards from his shoulder into the top of his left lung, causing it to collapse. His subclavian artery was completely severed causing very significant and fatal blood loss.