CBBC actor murder: 'Confession' over Carl Beatson Asiedu death
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-32395047 Version 0 of 1. A man accused of stabbing a CBBC actor to death confessed to his girlfriend before fleeing to Nigeria using his brother's passport, a court has heard. Jeffrey Okafor, 24, is accused of murdering Carl Beatson Asiedu outside a nightclub in Vauxhall in 2009. The prosecution said three people were targeted in the attack and Mr Beatson Asiedu, who appeared in the CBBC series M.I. High, "wasn't so fortunate". Mr Okafor of East Dulwich, south east London, denies murder. Club gig Sarah Whitehouse QC, prosecuting, told Woolwich Crown Court the stabbing took place after a crowd of people left Club Life near Vauxhall station. The prosecution said Mr Okafor was part of a larger group who attacked a smaller group on 1 August 2009. Two of the three people attacked survived, but Ms Whitehouse said: "Carl Beatson wasn't so fortunate." As well as appearing in the CBBC show, Mr Beatson Asiedu also helped to form a music group called Kidnplay and was known as Charmz. He was often booked to play at nightclubs in London and Leicester and had performed with his friend at the club on the night of his murder. A post-mortem examination concluded the cause of Mr Beatson Asiedu's death was a single stab wound to the front of the chest. 'Feds on to me' "After the attack, Jeffrey Okafor actually confessed to a girlfriend that he had stabbed Carl Beatson," Ms Whitehouse said. Mr Okafor confessed in a phone call within an hour of the attack and days later he told the same woman that he had stabbed Charmz in the stomach and gave her a pair of black gloves to look after, the prosecution said. Ms Whitehouse said those gloves were passed to police and DNA which may have come from the victim was found on one of the gloves. At the time Mr Okafor also seemed agitated saying: "The Feds are going to be on to me", the jury heard. Police arrived at the defendant's address on 13 August to arrest Mr Okafor, but he had fled, the court heard. The prosecution said four days later he boarded a flight from Heathrow Airport to Lagos using his brother's passport. He was extradited from Nigeria in November 2014. The trial continues. |