Brutal Murder Conviction for Street Attack on Deaf Accountant
A violent thug who callously threw a deaf female accountant from an overcrowded vehicle before punching her in the neck and abandoning her to die on a London street has today been found guilty of her murder. Duane Owusu, a 36-year-old known by the nickname 'Nasty', launched his vicious assault on 27-year-old Zahwa Mukhtar in August last year following a rave in Stoke Newington, north London.
A Night of Violence and Callous Disregard
The aspiring accountant, whom Owusu had only met that evening, was forcibly ejected from a crammed Mercedes. CCTV evidence presented during the trial showed Owusu kicking at her face as she sat dazed on the pavement before delivering the fatal punch after she collapsed to the ground. Prosecutors described the impact with a sickening thud as her head struck the concrete.
Owusu then calmly returned to the vehicle and left his victim dying on the roadside. A jury at the Old Bailey deliberated for nearly twelve hours before returning a unanimous guilty verdict for murder. Silence enveloped the courtroom as the verdict was delivered, with both the defendant and Ms Mukhtar's family present.
Previous Violent History and Damning Evidence
Scotland Yard released a statement following the conviction, describing Owusu as a 'remorseless killer'. Detective Chief Inspector Phil Clarke from Specialist Crime North expressed that their thoughts were with Zahwa's family, who had shown remarkable dignity after losing their daughter in such horrendous circumstances.
Jurors were not informed during the trial that Owusu had previously been jailed for eight years in 2010 for his role as the getaway driver in a botched robbery where a Matalan shop manager was fatally stabbed. The court heard how Ms Mukhtar had encountered Owusu's group in the early hours of August 16 last year, joining them in inhaling laughing gas balloons before getting into their already overcrowded car for a journey to Dagenham.
Graphic Footage and Witness Testimony
During the journey, an argument erupted between Ms Mukhtar and one of Owusu's female friends, escalating to hair-pulling and threats. Owusu responded by seizing her phone and throwing it from the vehicle before forcibly removing Ms Mukhtar herself. Witness Paige Allen described the attacker as being consumed by rage, stating he 'looked like a monster' as Ms Mukhtar pleaded with him to stop.
'She just fell backwards,' Allen testified. 'I went to help her but he screamed at me to get in the car.' The entire incident was captured on graphic CCTV footage that left jurors with a damning picture of Owusu's guilt.
Fatal Injuries and Failed Defense
After leaving the scene in Chadwell Heath, Owusu and his companions were stopped and searched by police just a short distance away. They were detained for approximately fifty minutes before officers responded to reports from the public about a woman lying on the pavement further down the road.
Ms Mukhtar, who worked as a finance assistant at London's Young Vic Theatre, was found unresponsive at 5:31 AM. Despite immediate efforts by police and paramedics, she was pronounced dead at 6:21 AM, having suffered a fractured skull and catastrophic brain injury.
During the trial, Owusu denied punching Ms Mukhtar, claiming he had merely pushed her away from the car to 'de-escalate' the situation. He testified that he 'did not believe she was hurt severely or badly' and stated he had been 'traumatised' by what occurred, insisting he never meant to harm her. He pleaded not guilty to both murder and the alternative charge of manslaughter.
Courtroom Drama and Sentencing
The proceedings were temporarily halted when Ms Mukhtar's brother, 28-year-old plumber Abas Mukhtar, became overcome with anger and lunged at the defendant in the witness box, leaving jurors 'extremely shaken up'. Judge Richard Marks KC fined him £1,000 for contempt of court, describing the incident as 'an ugly and sustained attempt at assault' that he had never witnessed before in all his years at the bar.
Judge Marks has remanded Owusu into custody, with sentencing scheduled for next Thursday. The conviction brings some measure of justice for a young woman whose life was brutally cut short in an act of senseless violence.
