Killer of Putney Teenager Convicted After Second Trial

Hani Solomon was stabbed in front of Parsons Green tube station

Hani Solomon had just completed a Prince's Trust course
Hani Solomon had just completed a Prince's Trust course. Picture: Met Police

Participate

Bulldog Puppy Still Missing After Fake Police Gang Jailed

Putney-based Football Coach Jailed for Abusing Teenage Boys

Roehampton Rocked by Series of Violent Incidents

Woman Charged with Stabbing a Man to Death in Mortlake

Stolen Scratch-cards Proved To Be Armed Robber's Downfall

Three Drug Dealers Convicted of Killing Rival in Roehampton

Man Sought After Alleged Sexual Assault in Putney Bar

Sign up for our weekly Putney newsletter

Comment on this story on the

December 7, 2022

A man has been convicted of killing 18-year-old Hani Solomon last year after he was tried for the second time.

19-year-old Abdallah Awil of Dairy Close was acquitted of the murder of Hani, who lived in Putney with his mother and his girlfriend, outside Parsons Green tube after a trial in November 2021. The jury could not reach a decision on charge of manslaughter, so a retrial took place at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday, 22 November this year.

This time the jury returned a guilty verdict on Monday, 5 December and Awil will now be sentenced at the same court on a date to be confirmed in February 2023.

Two other teenagers will also be sentenced on that date in relation to this case but reporting restrictions were imposed until the completion of Awil’s retrial. 19-year-ol Yousef Chamint of Pitfield Way, NW10 and 20-year-old Ahmed Fatah of Fulham Road, SW6 both pleaded guilty to manslaughter prior to the November 2021 trial.

Hani was stabbed to death on Ackmar Road near the White Horse pub at around 7pm on 11 February 2021. He was found with a wound to his chest but, despite the efforts of paramedics, he died at the scene half an hour later.

Extensive examination of CCTV by Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command showed the defendants waiting almost ten minutes for Hani to arrive before they met with him and his two friends in Novello Street, opposite the entrance to Parsons Green tube station.

After a verbal confrontation between the groups, Hani walked away with his friends, but they were soon followed by Awil, Fatah and Chamint who chased them into nearby Ackmar Road where Hani was attacked.

Hani was an only child who came to London with his family from Saudi Arabia. He was a talented footballer who had recently completed a Prince's Trust course and had ambitions of going into business. His friends say he was a calm person who was not involved with gangs. His girlfriend Shaheba Ali,, who he met at Hammersmith College says he was awaiting the arrival of his passport so he could take a job at an Amazon warehouse.

Detective Chief Inspector Vicky Tunstall, who led the investigation, said: “Awil, Chamint and Fatah arrived in Parsons Green that evening to seek to attack Hani and came armed with weapons, prepared to inflict the most serious kind of violence.

“This was a completely senseless attack on an 18-year-old who had his full life ahead of him. It has left his family and girlfriend completely distraught. Each of them has spoken about how their lives will never be the same and how they are haunted by what happened to Hani that night.

“None of the defendants have shown any real remorse and did all they could to try and evade justice. They now face significant custodial sentences and we are pleased they will no longer be able to cause any further harm.”

The trio who killed Hani - Abdallah Awil, Yousef Chamint and Ahmed Fatah
The trio who killed Hani - Abdallah Awil, Yousef Chamint and Ahmed Fatah

At the conclusion of the 2021 trial, Hani’s mother Aster Hagos said, “I would never have thought that on my son’s 19th birthday, I would be holding a vigil for him instead of celebrating his birthday. Hani had many dreams and plans for the future. He would have made each and every one of those dreams come true.

“My life has ended without my beloved Hani, I simply exist. It is so very difficult without Hani to sit at home alone, in solitude. Hani exuded kindness and filled the room with so much joy and happiness. His infectious laughter and smile have been taken from us. My life has changed forever.

“The world was once full of many opportunities, however now without my son, I feel like I have no future. I used to be a happy person and loved life but since Hani’s death I have become a recluse. I often cry for hours alone at home.

“Hani’s death has destroyed our family. I am filled with excruciating pain, sadness and loneliness. I wish that I could have been there for Hani when he took his last breath to comfort him when he was in agony. I was not afforded the chance to tell my son that I loved him just before he passed away.”

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.