Claim victim was already dead when they set fire to him in Belvue Park
David Pilgrim (left) and Samuel Stewart (right). Picture: Met Police
May 27, 2023
Two men from Northolt who killed a man and set fire to his body in Belvue Park have been convicted of manslaughter.
Police believe 36-year-old Samuel Stewart of Lilliput Avenue and 33-year-old David Pilgrim of Vanbrough Crescent got into a dispute with Subere Badade possibly over a mobile phone.
They are believed to have assaulted the 28-year-old in Stewart’s house on 11 June 2020.
Two days later at 2:50am on 13 June Stewart and Pilgrim were caught on CCTV putting petrol into a container at a petrol station and then driving back to Stewart’s house. It is thought they then stripped Subere of his clothing and placed him, unconscious but still alive, into the boot of a 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 Subere was already dead at this point.
The body was found later that morning when firefighters were called to reports of a fire.
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.
The victim Subere Badade. Picture: Met Police
CCTV was also recovered showing Stewart withdrawing cash from an ATM after the incident, which provided officers with a clear image of his face.
Further investigations confirmed that all three men 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.
Later in the evening on, 12 June, Stewart and Pilgrim built and started a bonfire in the garden of the property. Police later retrieved items consistent with burnt clothing.
Intensive investigations confirmed the identification of Stewart and he was arrested at his home on 15 June. He told officers: "You [are] not only doing me for this murder." Pilgrim was arrested on 17 June.
The two men were found guilty of manslaughter following a trial that concluded at Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday, 25 May.
Belvue Park, Northolt. Picture: Brett Jordan
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."
The pair will be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 28 September.
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