Two men who murdered a Barking music producer in a “brutal” broad daylight attack have been jailed for a total of 37 years.
Kai Stewart, 18, of Hundson Road, New Cross, and Devone Pusey, 20, of Knapmill Road, Bellingham, south-east London, were sentenced on Thursday having been found guilty earlier this month of murdering Dean Pascal-Modeste.
Stewart was jailed for 17 years while Pusey was jailed for 20.
The Old Bailey heard how Dean, 21, died after being attacked in Mottingham, south-east London, at 3.45pm on February 24 last year.
He had travelled to the area with two friends and went to Lambscroft Avenue, where one of Dean’s friends called in on somebody he knew while Dean and his other friend waited outside.
As they stood there, they were approached by a group of males on mopeds, with one shouting something and brandishing what was described by witnesses as a handgun.
Dean and his friend fled but Dean was caught by the group in an adjacent street and stabbed.
His attackers ran off and although an ambulance was called, Dean died at the scene.
A police search of the area found three knives that were believed to be used in the attack, with some DNA evidence found linking officers to Pusey.
Enquiries also found mobile phone records showing a group of men in contact before Dean’s murder that linked both Stewart and Pusey to the killing.
Pusey was charged a month after presenting himself at Lewisham police station, while Stewart had fled the country to Jamaica.
He was arrested at Gatwick on his return in November and charged the next day.
Det Chief Insp Richard Leonard, who led the investigation, said: “I honestly believe that Dean was not the intended target of this group of males. He did not live in the Mottingham area and from what we know had no associations with the locality.
“However, it appears the defendants were involved in a dispute with Dean’s friends and they attacked Dean merely because he was with them that day.
“This was a brutal attack carried out in broad daylight in front of shocked residents - Dean simply didn’t stand a chance.
“I can only hope that today’s sentencing can help his family begin to move on from this horrific chapter in their lives.”
Two other men were also convicted of Dean’s murder and jailed last year.
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