Teenager Convicted of Murder of Jason Issacs in Northolt

Sword or machete used in 'shocking and sustained' attack

Joel Amade

A teenager has been found guilty of murdering Jason Issacs in in Northolt.

18-year-old Joel Amade, of Eastwood Road, Ilford, was found guilty by a jury after a trial at the Old Bailey.He will be sentenced on Monday, 13 May.

An investigation was launched by the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command after Jason – a talented footballer who was also 18 – was stabbed in a residential cul-de-sac in 2017.

Police were called just before 10.30pm on Saturday, 18 November to Newnham Close and found Jason suffering from multiple injuries.

He was taken to St Mary’s Hospital, and immediately had surgery. He remained critical for some time before dying three days later.

During the trial, which began on Monday, 18 March, the court heard how Jason and four of his friends had made their way to the area after deciding to spend their Saturday night at a friend’s house.

Jason Isaacs

They walked to Oldfields Circus in Northolt and bought some drinks, before heading along Orchard Close.

As they got past the junction heading towards Girton Road, two mopeds appeared and drove at speed towards the group.

On each moped was a rider and a pillion passenger, who were all masked or wearing helmets and carrying weapons. They stopped the mopeds at Newnham Gardens, jumped off, and began to chase Jason and his friends. They resumed the chase on their mopeds and Jason became separated. He was pursued into Newnham Close and set upon in what was described as a shocking and sustained knife attack. The attackers fled the scene on the mopeds and an investigation was launched.

Prior to the arrival of London Ambulance Service, one of Jason’s friends and a resident, whose door Jason had knocked on in distress, attempted first aid. He had collapsed in their front garden but unknown to those who were trying to help him, had been fatally wounded.

A post mortem examination at Uxbridge Mortuary on 24 November 2017, established that Jason had eight knife wounds, possibly caused by two different weapons.

He had been stabbed four times in the back, and it was one of these which proved to be the fatal injury. Jason also had a wounds to his upper right arm, right elbow, right knee and left thigh. These were consistent with injuries caused by a sword or machete.

Amade was first arrested on Monday, 20 November, 2017 on suspicion of attempted murder and bailed while further enquiries were made. In the wake of Jason's death and post mortem results, he was arrested again on Thursday, 30 November and charged with murder.

He appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 1 December, where he denied murder and was remanded in custody.

Amade - originally from the Harrow area – left his home in Ilford at around 4.45pm on the day of the attack and used public transport to get to Northolt.

CCTV showed that he was carrying a black motorcycle helmet and had made a telephone call just before he headed over to north west London,

By 12.30am, around two hours after the attack, Amade took a train back to east London and was caught on a CCTV camera at Wembley Park station wearing the same clothes as he had been seen in earlier that day.

Upon his arrest at the Ilford address, these clothes - a puffed jacket and hoody were found - alongside the helmet which also featured a distinctive V shaped logo. This matched that of a moped pillion rider captured on nearby CCTV shortly before the attack.

During the course of the investigation, one of the mopeds used was recovered and forensically examined. Blood was found on one of the body panels. DNA profiled identified Amade as being the likely contributor on a one in a billion basis.

Detective Sergeant Jonathan Hurley from the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command, who led the investigation, said, “On that night in 2017, Jason was looking forward to spending time with his friends, much like any typical teenager in London.

“No young person should go out for the night with his friends and never return, but that was the consequence of this ferocious attack.

“Tragically, his Saturday night ended by paying the highest of prices, and my thoughts and condolences remain with his family and friends

“Throughout this process, Amade maintained that he was not even in the vicinity of Northholt on the night of the murder, but this has been found to be false.

“I would like to recognise the bravery of Jason’s mother and family, as harrowing evidence about the murder was heard and shown in court.

“The residents of Newnham Close and Jason’s friends who tried in vain to save his life, will also have to live with the events of that night for the rest of their lives.

“Jason never regained consciousness and his family were not able to say goodbye.

“I hope today’s verdict brings some degree of closure and modest level of comfort to his loved ones.”

An 18-year-old man who also stood trial for murder alongside Amade was found not guilty.

April 17, 2019