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Sept 2015 back issue
by Antonio Zazueta Olmos
The Landscape of Murder is a photographic series documenting all the
sites where murders have occurred in London, United Kingdom
between January 1st, 2011 and December 31st, 2012. I have
photographed 210 sites where a murder has occurred. All the murders
sites photographed were within the M25 Motorway.
My aim is to give memory to what are mostly forgotten events, unseen
places, landscapes where great violence has occurred. To provide
‘Evidence’ to that which is mostly silent, private and unseen to the
wider public. Most murders that take place rarely make the news and,
if they do, occupy the news for a fleeting time. The Landscape reverts
back to normality quickly after the forensic teams have collected their
evidence. The project gives memory of the violence that has taken
place. The scar is there, sometimes subtle, sometimes very open,
whether it’s a single solitary flower or grieving family and friends.
Sometimes there is nothing to show that a life has ended violently on
the spot. The project has taken me to parts of London I knew little or nothing about. I have documented murders that
touch on domestic violence, mental health issues, drugs, gangs and random meaningless violence. In the process of
documenting these murder sites, the project has created an alternative portrait of London, one shaped by violence and
inequality.
The Landscape of Murder is evidence of what we would rather not observe.
Murder #16
Kunaliny Alagaratnam & Santhirapathy Tharmalingam, Deptford, February 4, 2011.
Kunaliny Alagaratnam 42 and Santhirapathy Tharmalingam,59, died in a fire on the 16th floor of a tower block in
Deptford. Sandra Clarke, 50, started the blaze in her own flat using lighter fuel after a dispute over her rent arrears.
Alagaratnam and Tharmalingam who were in a neighbouring flat, died of smoke inhalation during a fire in which 50
firefighters were involved. Sandra Clarke was charged and found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 16 years.
Murder #21
Regina & Rolls Say, Borough, February 13, 2011.
Rolls Say, 10 and his sister Regina,8, were stabbed to death by their father in Borough. Their throats had been cut and
Rolls had suffered a head injury. They had also suffered knife wounds as they attempted to defend themselves. Jean
Francis Say, 62, was arrested at the scene and charged with two counts of murder. Say admitted to the murder of both
children. He was jailed for life with a minimum of 30 years before parole.
Murder #30
Anthony Whitefield, Loughton, February 6, 2011.
Anthony Whitefield, 47, was murdered and dismembered in Loughton in early 2011. Mr. Whitefield’s severed arms
were found in Roding Lake while the torso and legs were found in other locations. Whitefield’s head has not been
found. Douglas Binet, 54, was arrested and found guilty of the murder. After being found guilty, Binet was asked by the
court to reveal the location of Whitefield's head and he refused.
Murder #31
Louisa Brannan, Sutton, March 14, 2011.
Louisa Brannan, 35, was found dead at a flat in Sutton. She had suffered multiple stab wounds to her body and a
heavy blow to her head. Police launched a manhunt for Reece Ludlow, 18, who lived at the flat, but he was not
arrested until March 20 when he was found drunk on a train at Victoria Station. Ludlow eventually pleaded guilty to the
murder was jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years before parole.
Murder #35
Kelvin Easton, Mile End, March 27, 2011.
Kelvin Easton, 23, was stabbed to death in a nightclub in Mile End. He was found collapsed at the bottom of the stairs
at Boheme nightclub. Easton was pronounced dead at the scene and a postmortem gave the cause of death as a stab
wound to the heart. 12 men were arrested during the investigation and one charged but no one was found guilty of the
murder.
Murder #38
Negus McClean, Edmonton, April 10, 2011.
Negus McLean, 15, was stabbed to death in Edmonton after being chased by around 7 young men riding bicycles and
wearing hooded jumpers and facemasks. Negus was then beaten with metal poles before being stabbed in the thigh
and chest with such force that the blade snapped off in his body. He was found injured in Westminster Road and died
after being taken to hospital. 4 young men were charged and convicted of the murder.
Murder #39
Isaiah Bovell, Clapham, April 14, 2011.
Isaiah Bovell, 21, was shot dead trying to break into a flat in Clapham. Isaiah's body was found dead on a grassy area
from a gunshot wound to the head. Police forced entry into the flat and found Raymond Andes, 39. When asked why he
hadn't opened the door, he said,, "I was just smoking my last fag.” Andes was found guilty of manslaughter and jailed
for 10 years.
Murder #57
Nana Darko-Frempong, Tulse Hill, June 6, 2011.
Nana Darko-Frempong,18, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Tulse Hill. Darko-Frempong was shot in the face and
chest outside his home in Purser House and died at the scene. The car used by the gunmen was later found burning
on the nearby Wyndham Estate. Four men were charged with murder but only one, Christopher Gabriel, 24 was
convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Murder #61
Mahad Mohammed, Battersea, June 22, 2011.
Mahad Mohammed, 20, was stabbed to death near Pennethorne House in Battersea. He was found injured and
pronounced dead at the scene. Four men were arrested. The prosecution case was that Mohammed's death was
linked to drug dealing and that two of the accused were members of the Stick'em Up Kids (SUK) gang based in
Battersea. Two men were found guilty of murder while the other two were found guilty of manslaughter.
Murder #65
Yemurai Kanyangarara, Welling, July 1, 2011.
Yemurai Kanyangarara, 16, was stabbed to death in Welling after getting off a bus with a friend. He suffered a single
knife wound to the neck and died in hospital. The killing was the culmination of a feud between pupils at
Kanyangarara’s school, St Columba's Catholic Boys' School in Bexleyheath, and the nearby Blackheath Bluecoats.
Three teenage men were arrested and two were found guilty of murder.
Murder #74
Trevor Ellis, Croydon, August 8, 2011.
Trevor Ellis, 26, was shot dead in Croydon during the London riots . Ellis had travelled to Croydon with his friends
when he was confronted by a gang of nine looters. A fight led to a car chase and police found Ellis in a car with a
gunshot wound to the head. Ellis died in hospital the following day. 14 men were arrested and 10 remain on police bail
but no one has been charged.
Murder #86
Michael Dye, Wembley, September 6, 2011.
Michael Dye, 44, died after being attacked outside Wembley stadium on the night of the Euro 2012 qualifying match
between England and Wales. Dye suffered head injuries and died in hospital. The accused, Ian Mytton, 41, told police
that he thought Dye was 'aggressive in his looking at him.' A postmortem gave the cause of death as blunt trauma to
the back of the head. Mytton was charged with murder and convicted of manslaughter.
Murder #88
Harjinder Singh Bhurji, Clayhall, September 13, 2011.
Harjinder Singh Bhurji, 32, was stabbed to death in Clayhall by a masked robber as he sat chatting with a female
friend in his car. Bhurji was stabbed in the chest after he tried to hide the keys under his seat. The attacker then took
the keys from the dying victim and drove off. Police were called and found Bhurji fatally wounded. He was pronounced
dead at the scene. No one has been charged with the murder.
Murder #111
Ruby Love, Southall, December 25, 2011.
Ruby Love, 23, was strangled and dumped in the Grand Union Canal on Christmas Day 2011. Her body was spotted
by a member of the public in Southall. Ruby Love’s boyfriend was charged with murder and is facing retrial at time of
publication. The boyfriend admitted the killing but claimed he was provoked by the victim and his responsibility was
diminished by mental illness.
Murder #112
Seydou Diarrassouba, Oxford Street, December 26, 2011.
Seydou Diarrassouba, 18, was stabbed to death in Oxford Street during the sales on Boxing Day 2011. Diarrassouba
suffered two knife wounds to the chest after being attacked near a shoe store. He collapsed near Bond Street station
and was pronounced dead at the scene. A postmortem revealed the cause of death was a stab wound to the heart.
Two men were charged with murder but were cleared of the charge after they successfully claimed self defence.
Murder #120
Cheryl Tariah, Barkingside, February 7, 2012.
Cheryl Tariah, 17, was found strangled at a flat in Barkingside after police were called to a disturbance above a high
street shop. A postmortem gave the cause of death as compression of the neck. Tariah’s boyfriend, Ako Amin, 18, tried
to flee the country after the murder but was discovered clinging to the bottom of a lorry at Dover three days later. Amin
pleaded guilty to the murder and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Murder #125
Gemma McCluskie, Hackney, March 6, 2012.
Gemma McCluskie, 29, was found dismembered in the Regent's Canal in Hackney. Police charged her brother Tony
McCluskie, 35, with her murder. The prosecution case is that he killed his sister during a row. Tony McCluskie then
dismembered his sister before taking her body to the canal in a suitcase. McCluskie was convicted of murder and jailed
for life with a minimum of 20 years.
