Film Student Punched & Kicked by Seven Men Before Fatal Stabbing

A twenty-seven-year-old man has appeared at the Old Bailey today accused of participating in the "extreme violence" that led to the death of film student Finbar Sullivan, as two further defendants faced magistrates on identical murder charges.

Oluwadamilola Ogunyankinnu, 27 (29.12.1998), of Southbury Road, Enfield, appeared at the Central Criminal Court this afternoon charged with the murder of twenty-one-year-old Finbar Sullivan.

The court heard allegations that Mr Sullivan was surrounded by a group of seven men and subjected to a sustained assault involving punching, kicking, and stamping before being fatally knifed.

Prosecutor Zara Brawley described the incident as an "eruption of extreme violence" which took place in broad daylight at the Primrose Hill viewpoint at approximately 6:41pm on 7 April.

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The prosecution alleged that Ogunyankinnu, a Nigerian national, pushed or punched the victim to the ground and proceeded to kick or stamp towards his head at least twice while he was prone.

Jurors were told that another male then used a knife to stab the student twice, inflicting a fatal wound to the thigh.

Judge Philip Katz KC remanded Ogunyankinnu in custody ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing scheduled for 1 July, with a provisional trial date set for April 2027.

The appearance coincided with a separate hearing at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court where two additional defendants faced charges in connection with the same death.

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Alexis Bidace, 25 (30.08.2000), of Fore Street, Edmonton, and Ernest Boateng, 25 (11.08.2000), of Keswick Drive, Enfield, both appeared charged with murder.

The pair spoke only to confirm their details during a six-minute hearing and were remanded in custody by District Judge Daniel Benjamin to appear at the Old Bailey on Friday.

The court heard that both Bidace and Boateng deny any participation in the alleged murder.

A fourth defendant, eighteen-year-old Khalid Abdulqadir (18.10.2007), of Fellows Road, Camden, remains in custody charged with grievous bodily harm, violent disorder, and possession of a knife.

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Abdulqadir is accused of stabbing a different individual during the same altercation, resulting in the victim having his spleen removed.

Mr Sullivan, a student at the London Screen Academy, was the grandson of cinematographer Michael Seresin and the son of musician Christopher Sullivan.

Detectives from the Specialist Crime Command continue to appeal for witnesses, noting that the park was exceptionally busy with crowds at the time of the fatal confrontation.

Ogunyankinnu, who previously claimed at a lower court that he was the "wrong person," has not yet entered a formal plea to the indictment.

All four men remain in high-security detention as the Metropolitan Police investigation into the circumstances of the incident continues.