A 19-year-old from Deptford has been handed a life prison sentence after he was convicted of murdering a man following a dispute over a stolen bike, before fleeing to Nigeria.
Jackson Uwagboe was given a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 10 February, after he was convicted of murdering 21-year-old Robert Robinson in Deptford in June 2024.
A co-defendant, Eromosele Omoluogbe, 24, from New Cross, was convicted earlier this month of perverting the course of justice.
He booked Uwagboe a plane ticket for Nigeria and drove him to Heathrow airport. He will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on a date to be fixed.
Uwagboe is the third man who has been convicted of Robert’s murder; two teenagers, Ryan Wedderburn, 18, and Kirk Harris, 19, were convicted of Robert’s murder at the Old Bailey in May last year.
They received life sentences and were ordered to serve minimum terms of 23 years and 22 years and nine months respectively.
Police pieced together hundreds of hours of CCTV, phone records, bank account details and DNA to build the case which led to the conviction.
The investigation
Police were called at about 10:35pn on the night of Thursday, 6 June 2024 to reports of a stabbing in Carteret Way, Deptford.
Relatedarticles
Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended but despite their best efforts the victim, later identified as Robert, sadly died at the scene.
He had suffered 12 serious stab wounds, including defensive injuries indicating he tried to protect himself from the blows.
The jury heard that earlier that day, Uwagboe had robbed a 17-year-old boy of his bicycle and phone on Deptford High Street in Deptford.
Robert was part of a group that went to the home of Uwagboe’s associate, Ryan Wedderburn, in Windlass Place, Deptford, hoping they would find the bicycle and the thief.
When there was no answer at the flat, the group left the property. Some members of the group then allegedly damaged two cars belonging to the Wedderburn family.
A short time later, Uwagboe left the property in Windlass Place with friends Ryan Wedderburn and Kirk Harris. All three were armed with machetes.
They walked to nearby Carteret Way, where Robert, one of his friends and their mother, spotted the group and ran away. The mother was on the phone to 999 at the time, reporting the earlier bike robbery.
Robert was chased and overpowered by the group. He was stabbed at least 12 times and, despite the efforts of paramedics, died at the scene.
All three of the killers fled the scene. Using extensive phone records, detectives were able to show that Omoluogbe was in contact with his friend, Uwagboe, in the hours after the murder. He bought a plane ticket to Lagos, Nigeria, for £1,129.89 on Friday, 7 June 2024. Omoluogbe and his brother took Uwagboe to Heathrow the following day.
Uwagboe returned to the UK on Tuesday, 25 February 2025, when he was arrested at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of murder.
Detectives built a strong case against the men, watching hundreds of hours of CCTV, sifting through phone records from over a dozen different suspects and witnesses, and analysing bank records to piece together their movements.
DNA analysis helped link a knife found in the wake of the murder to Kirk Harris, who was convicted of murder last year. Another knife was recovered from the Thames months after the killing, but could be linked to another one of the killers – Ryan Wedderburn – through CCTV.
Following the verdicts, Detective Inspector Neil Tovey, who led the investigation, said: “Today’s verdict brings justice for Robert Robinson and his family. Robert was subjected to a brutal and sustained attack by a group of men armed with knives. He was unarmed, already wounded, and on the ground when Uwagboe attacked him. His claims of self-defence were entirely without foundation.
“I again want to pay tribute to the Robinson family, who have shown immense dignity throughout this process. Through two trials they were forced to endure hearing those responsible attempt to excuse the inexcusable, and Uwagboe’s decision to flee the country significantly prolonged their search for justice and meant they were put through the pain through two trials.
“The conviction of Omoluogbe for perverting the course of justice reflects the seriousness of assisting a murderer to evade arrest. Anyone who chooses to help violent offenders avoid accountability is complicit in the harm caused and can expect to face the full force of the law.
“This outcome is the result of the relentless work of my officers and analyst, who reviewed hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, phone data and spoke to dozens of witnesses to build a compelling case. While homicide levels in London are falling, knife crime remains a profound concern for us and our communities. This investigation demonstrates our absolute determination to pursue offenders wherever they go and to hold them accountable for their actions.”
