Abdul Samad murder probe: Teenagers accused of stabbing charity worker in the heart for his iPhone appear in court

Two teens on a moped are alleged to have fatally stabbed a man while on a mugging spree, a court has been told.

Charity worker Abdul Samad was allegedly stabbed through the heart outside his parents' home in Little Venice late on October 16 2017.

On Tuesday (January 9), Nathan Gilmaney, 18, and a 17-year-old appeared at the Old Bailey accused of his murder and a series of other crimes.

They are charged with 11 counts including murder, robbery, attempted robbery and wounding with intent.

The two suspects are accused of a total of several robberies and attempted robberies on the same night.

They are said to have stolen watches, cash, cigarettes, phones and handbags from three female victims and four male victims.

The pair are also accused of stabbing and seriously wounding another man, Silverio Pina, just minutes after the attack on 28-year-old Mr Samad.

The Old Bailey was told Mr Samad, a Westminster University economics graduate, collapsed after ringing the doorbell of his parent's flat in St Mary's Terrace at around 11.45pm.

The victim worked for the Covent Garden Dragon Trust, a charity which helped young Londoner's improve their IT skills.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones said: "This is an allegation of murder and a series of robberies all in the space of two to three hours - the two defendants were armed with knives.

"One of the victims was fatally stabbed."

Shortly after his death Mr Samad's boss, Dragon Hall Trust director Nicole Furre, told getwestlondon: "We are a very close knit team here and Abdul was very much part of it.

"He was extremely talented with tech and really great with children and young people."

She added: "He could even manage to make coding exciting.

"He will be greatly missed here and he had an impact on a lot of people.

"We're all still trying to process what has happened and he will be greatly missed."

Gilmaney, from Glasgow House in Maida Vale, appeared in the dock dressed in grey while the 17-year-old appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from HMP Belmarsh.

They will return to court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on February 8 ahead of a trial, provisionally set for April 16.

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