Two men from Northolt have been found guilty of manslaughter for the death of Subere Badade and in setting his body on fire in Northolt’s Belvue Park.
Samuel Stewart, 36, of Lilliput Avenue, Northolt, and David Pilgrim, 33, of Vanbrough Crescent, Northolt, were found guilty of manslaughter following a trial at Isleworth Crown Court on 25 May 2023.
An investigation was launched after the body of Subere was found by firefighters who had been called to extinguish a fire in Belvue Park in the early hours of 13 June 2020.
Detectives discovered that the 28-year-old had been taken to the park and set alight after he was assaulted by Stewart and Pilgrim at Stewart’s house in Lilliput Avenue two days earlier, on 13 June 2020.
The pair were caught on CCTV at a petrol station at around 02:50am on 13 June 2023, where Pilgrim was seen placing petrol into a container. They drove back to Stewart’s address where, it is thought they stripped Subere of his clothing and placed him unconscious but still alive into the boot of the car.
They drove to Belvue Park where they carried him around 150 metres into a wooded area before setting him on fire. Both men claimed he was already dead when this took place.
Despite there being no CCTV in the park itself, detectives were able to piece together what happened when they retrieved footage from near to the park, showing one of the men leaving and returning to the car.
They linked the car to Pilgrim, and found that the same vehicle had been left abandoned in a car park in Ashley Court.
CCTV was also recovered showing Stewart withdrawing cash from an ATM after the incident, which provided officers with a clear image of his face.
Detectives established the pair and the victim had been at Stewart’s home on 11 June. A witness reported seeing Stewart and Subere arguing over a mobile phone. Later that day, Stewart and Pilgrim left the address, but there was no sign of Subere.
On 12 June 2020, Stewart and Pilgrim built and started a bonfire in the garden of the property. Police later retrieved items consistent with burnt clothing.
Stewart was arrested at his home on 15 June 2020. He told officers: “You [are] not only doing me for this murder.” Pilgrim was later arrested on 17 June 2020 and both were charged.
Detective Inspector Marcus Jones, the senior investigation officer said: “Our thoughts remain with Subere’s family, who have had to listen to incredibly distressing information about how he lost his life. We can only imagine the terror he must have felt that day and it is for that reason we are very pleased to see two dangerous men brought to justice.”
Stewart and Pilgrim will be sentenced on 28 September 2023.
