Gang Who Laughed in Court Jailed for Life in Tourist's Murder

Five men convicted of the brutal murder of Antonis Antoniadis, a 27-year-old Greek tourist, were sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey following a harrowing eight-week trial that exposed a calculated robbery turned fatal.

The defendants, who stalked their victim for eight miles across London in a stolen car, stabbed Antoniadis in a ferocious attack in New Cross, southeast London, on 7 July 2024, leaving him to die from catastrophic injuries two weeks later.

The court heard chilling details of their predatory pursuit from a central London nightclub to the quiet residential street where the fatal assault unfolded, a crime driven by greed and executed with ruthless precision.

Antonis Antoniadis, an office worker from Greece, had been enjoying a week-long holiday in London with two friends, identified in court as Tia and Maria. On the evening of 6 July 2024, the group visited a nightclub at 32 Portland Place, Marylebone, a venue known for its high-profile clientele and recently linked to controversial events involving social media personalities. Unbeknownst to Antoniadis and his companions, a group of young men from Camden, north London, were prowling outside in a stolen Kia Sportage, fitted with false number plates, searching for targets to rob.

The defendants—Amin Alliche, Sofian Alliche, Shian Johnson, Joshua McCorquodale, and Alfie Hipple—had spent hours loitering near the nightclub, their attention initially drawn to a yellow Lamborghini and a Mercedes before settling on Antoniadis, who was carrying a Lacoste man bag and wearing a Versace watch.

At approximately 08:15 on 7 July, as Antoniadis and his friends left the nightclub and boarded an Uber to return to a friend’s address in Florence Terrace, New Cross, the defendants followed. The court heard how the group trailed the taxi for over 30 minutes across an eight-mile journey, their stolen vehicle weaving through early morning traffic with predatory intent.

Upon reaching the destination, as one of Antoniadis’s friends fumbled with a door key, four of the defendants—Sofian Alliche, Shian Johnson, Joshua McCorquodale, and Alfie Hipple—emerged from the car, their faces concealed by balaclavas. Armed with **large knives**, they launched a sudden and violent assault. Amin Alliche, then 17, remained behind the wheel as the getaway driver.

The attack was swift and savage. The group targeted Antoniadis’s man bag, but the victim fought back, striking one of the robbers with a brandy bottle in a desperate attempt to protect his friends. The court was told that Antoniadis acted bravely, shielding Tia and Maria, who were described as terrified. In retaliation, the attackers punched, kicked, and stabbed him, inflicting wounds to his chest and right thigh.

The thigh wound severed his femoral artery, causing massive blood loss. The defendants fled with Antoniadis’s mobile phone, leaving him bleeding heavily on the pavement. Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries on 21 July 2024, after two weeks in hospital.

Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, of the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime South, described the investigation as complex and challenging, with no CCTV footage capturing the attack itself. Officers meticulously reviewed hundreds of hours of footage, tracing the defendants’ movements from the nightclub to New Cross and back to northwest London. The stolen Kia Sportage was later recovered, hidden under a stolen car cover in Camden, providing critical evidence.

Cell site data further linked the defendants to the crime. Searches of their addresses uncovered an arsenal of weapons, including a zombie knife, five machetes, two swords, two lock knives, seven other knives, balaclavas, and drug paraphernalia, painting a picture of a group steeped in violent crime.

The trial revealed the defendants’ criminal histories. Shian Johnson had a 2015 conviction for possessing a knife in Camden High Street, with a machete and balaclava later found at his home. Joshua McCorquodale had 2022 convictions for conspiracy to rob and robbery, involving mobile phone snatching and an attempt to steal an electric bicycle. Sofian Alliche was convicted in 2019 for robbing a man on Regent’s Canal towpath.

Alfie Hipple had a 2022 conviction for possessing an offensive weapon and another for affray after attacking a young man at a football match. The Alliche brothers’ home yielded additional incriminating items, including a Louis Vuitton man bag and a large sword.

During sentencing, the courtroom atmosphere grew tense when a member of the public gallery shouted, “This is bull sh*t, it’s corrupt. Keep your heads up, don’t let the system break you.

” Laughter erupted from the dock, prompting a stern rebuke from Judge Rebecca Trowler KC, who noted the defendants’ lack of respect for the proceedings and the harm they had caused.

The judge highlighted the severity of the crime, committed during a robbery and involving lethal weapons, and described Antoniadis as a kind, caring, and sociable young man whose death had profoundly affected his family and friends.

The victim’s parents, Stella and Yiannis, provided a statement to the court, expressing their grief and the importance of justice to prevent others from enduring similar loss. Judge Trowler acknowledged the unimaginable distress outlined in statements from Antoniadis’s family and friends, noting his bravery in defending his companions during the attack.

They were sentenced as follows:

Amin Alliche, 18 (28.06.2007) of Bury Place WC1 – 22 years with six years for robbery, to run concurrently.

Sofian Alliche, 20 (20.02.05), of Bury Place WC1 – 25 years with eight years for robbery, to run concurrently.

Shian Johnson, 26 (14.07.99), of Argyle Walk WC1 – 28 years, with 10 years for robbery, to run concurrently.

Joshua McCorquodale, 20 (03.08.04), of Upper Park Road NW3 – 26 years, with nine years for robbery, to run concurrently.

Alfie Hipple, 18 (25.02.07), of Kentish Town Road NW5 – 23 years, with seven years for robbery, to run concurrently.

Following the murder, Shian Johnson fled to Cancun, Mexico, with his girlfriend, staying at an all-inclusive resort. He failed to return on a scheduled flight to Gatwick on 24 July 2024, but was arrested four days later upon arriving from Madrid.

Detective Chief Inspector Blackburn praised the courage of Antoniadis’s friends, who returned to the UK to provide crucial testimony, and thanked witnesses who helped piece together the events.

The sentences, she said, reflected the gravity of the defendants’ actions on that fateful Sunday morning, securing justice for a young man whose life was cut short in a senseless act of violence.