East Londoners jailed in July 2025 including murderer

Here are the names and faces of the men and women judges have put behind bars in July 2025.

Woman murdered at child’s birthday party

Hope Rowe and Leigh Holder (Image: Met Police) Hope Rowe has been jailed for murdering a mum at a child’s birthday party in Stepney Green.

Charlotte Lawlor, 31, was attacked with a knife in front of her family, children and guests at the party in Duckett Street on September 15 last year.

She was stabbed by Rowe, of Piazza Walk in Aldgate, following an argument at the party after 1am and was pronounced dead an hour after.

The 33-year-old then drove away from the scene with her partner Leigh Holder.

Rowe was jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years.

Holder, 38, was also jailed for 16 months for perverting the course of justice.

He encouraged Rowe not to surrender to the police, and helped her dispose of the murder weapon.

At around 2.10am, Holder’s car was stopped by armed police in Tower Hamlets and he told them that Rowe jumped out of the car, claiming he had no knowledge of where she was.

Read the full story – Woman jailed for murder at children’s birthday party

East London gang members jailed for Southend violence

Top row: Tyler Omo-Irogho, Michael King, Mekai Brown. Bottom row: Isaac Bello, Hamza Dinbil, Lucas Braga (Image: Essex Police)

Nine teenage east London gang members have been given custodial sentences after they wreaked havoc in Southend last summer.

The incident saw ten teenagers aged between 14 and 18 terrorise the city on July 30 last year as they ran amok with machetes, with one firing a gun.

Witnesses and business owners had been left in terror following the clash between the rival gangs from Newham, with enormous costs to businesses.

• Hamza Dinbil, 18 of Corporation Street, Stratford was handed a 22-month custodial sentence for his involvement in the disorder in Southend last year including violent disorder and possession of a bladed article.
• Michael King, 18 of Crescent Road, South Woodford received seven-and-a-half years for conspiracy to cause GBH.
• Lucas Braga, 18, of Pitchford Street, Stratford received a two-year custodial sentence for violent disorder as well as a 12-month sentence to run concurrently for possession of a bladed article.
• Tyler Omo-Irogho, 19, of Clarendon Road, Watford was sentenced to a custodial sentence of three years and three months in total.
• Mekai Brown, 19, of Higham Road, Woodford Green received an 8-year custodial sentence for conspiracy to cause GBH to run concurrently with a three-year sentence for violent disorder.
• A 17-year-old defendant from Tower Hamlets was adjudged to be better sentenced via youth court for a referral order rather than a custodial sentence.
• A 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons has been handed a custodial sentence of six years and 11 months for conspiracy to cause GBH, alongside a concurrent sentence of three years and two months for possession of a firearm.
• Isaac Bello, 18, of Prospect Road, Woodford Green, received a two-year custodial sentence for violent disorder, as well as a 12-month concurrent sentence for possession of a bladed article.

Read the full story – East London gang members sentenced for Southend violence

Stratford nightclub murder

Hamza Kamali, Edson Bernardo, Abdi Ulusow (Image: Met Police) Saley Beya, 38, was murdered outside a nightclub in Romford Road in Stratford in the early hours of August 10 last year.

That evening Saley and his friends attended a party in Stratford before continuing their night at the nightclub.

Around an hour later, they were all outside when one of Saley’s friends became involved in an altercation with a group of men who were known to Hamza Kamali.

Kamali, 29, arrived after things quickly escalated into violence, with Saley being stabbed in the leg.

Saley was able to run from the scene, but he was chased by Kamali who kicked the victim several times as he tried to get away.

Saley collapsed in the street and paramedics tried to stem the bleeding out, but he went into cardiac arrest on his way to hospital.

He remained in a critical condition for almost three weeks before dying on August 29.

Kamali, of Henniker Road in Stratford, was later convicted of murder and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years.

Two other men Abdi Ulusow, 28, of Hathaway Crescent, and Edson Bernardo, 26, of Carlton Avenue in Westcliff-on-Sea, pleaded guilty to affray and possession of an offensive weapon – a machete and pole – in connection with the incident.

They were each jailed for two years.

Read the full story – Man jailed for murder outside nightclub

Harold Hill thief

Shannah Everitt (Image: Met Police) Shannah Everitt, 30, of Bridgwater Walk in Harold Hill, has been jailed after stealing Maltesers and Lemsip from a shop.

Havering Police said that they were called to reports of shoplifting taking place at a shop in Camborne Avenue on July 7.

Romford town centre shoplifter

Ross Clark (Image: Met Police) Ross Clark, who was already banned from Romford for shoplifting, was jailed after he was spotted in the town centre. 

He breached a criminal behaviour order (CBO) after he was spotted by officers in Exchange Street.