Allan Isichei's Killer Convicted of Manslaughter

Jury reject Gurjeet Lall's claim he was acting in self defence

Gurjeet Lall

A man who stabbed to death a grandfather from Southall has been convicted of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

36-year-ol Gurjeet Singh Lall, of Vine Cottages, St Mary’s Avenue South, Southall had claimed he had acted in self-defence when he fatally wounded 69-year-old Allan Isichei last year.

Mr Isichei arrived at The Plough pub in Tentelow Lane just before 6pm on Saturday, 24 August 2019, where he enjoyed a single beer and read his tablet in the beer garden. He was a regular customer of the pub, which is just a short walk from his home. He left after just half an hour.

Moments later he encountered diagnosed schizophrenic Lall as he walked towards his home on St Mary’s Avenue South. Lall was leaning against a wall and the pair had a brief verbal disagreement over Lall’s spitting in the street. Words were exchanged and as Mr Isichei walked away, Lall spat on the ground again, at which point Mr Isichei turned and placed his tablet on the roof of a nearby car.

As further words were exchanged, Lall produced a knife and used it to stab Mr Isichei several times in a struggle in which he managed to disarm him.

Allan Isichei

Mr Isichei, apparently not realising how badly he was injured, got up and walked down the street before stopping. He then staggered to a neighbour’s address and rang the doorbell, pleading for help.

Police and paramedics were called immediately and arrived minutes later. He was treated at the scene before being placed into an ambulance that was forced to stop shortly after it left the scene of the incident as his condition deteriorated.

Paramedics battled to save his life, but despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead at 7.56pm.

Police traced Lall to his home address after following a blood trail from injuries he sustained in the incident. He was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder before it was known that his victim had died. He was then arrested on suspicion of murder and taken into custody.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Isichei had suffered multiple knife injuries. A cause of death was given as an incised wound to the abdomen.

Lall was released from hospital on 29 August into police custody. During interview he claimed in a prepared statement that he had been acting in self-defence. He was later charged with murder.

Following a review of Lall’s mental health, he was deemed fit to stand trial.

Mr Isichei has been described as a larger than life character who was well-loved by his family, including several grandchildren, and was well-known and respected in his local community having lived in Southall for many years.

He had worked as a builder and later as a director in a building firm, and was an influential member of the Wasps rugby team for many years, as a player in the 70s and 80s and then later on as a coach. He was also an experienced saxophonist who was part of a jazz group that played in many venues across London.

Allan Isichei at the Hanwell Hootie

In a statement, Allan’s family said, “We have suffered from the tragic loss of our father, who was kind, generous and inspirational man to many. To see him described by his assailant as an aggressor just isn’t who he was. He spent his time putting others before himself and the graphic camera footage shown in court clearly shows he was the victim of someone who chose to carry a knife.

“Why was a person with a history of carrying knives, who was only arrested while carrying one in January 2019, allowed to be back out on the streets unsupervised to carry out this senseless killing.

“As always the voice of the victim is not heard, we can no longer ask him as he has been cruelly taken away from us. A pain we feel every day.

Detective Inspector Jamie Stevenson of the Met’s Specialist Crime, said, “It beggars belief that a man could go to his local pub for a quick drink on a Saturday evening and not return home, but that is the terrible reality that Allan’s family have been left with.

“Allan was a creative and constructive man, living a full and active life through his sport and music. His loss is immeasurable, and is of course most felt by his loving family, who still grieve for him and will do so for a very long time to come.

“There was no good reason for Lall to have had a knife in his possession that day, and no good reason for him to use it. I am glad that he has been convicted and the jury rejected his claim that he was acting in self-defence.”

Sentencing will be held at the same court on Monday, 14 December.

October 26, 2020