Fawaz Abdulkareem Jailed for Life Over Vauxhall Tower Block Debt Murder

A 36-year-old man who stabbed his friend to death following an argument over an outstanding financial debt before attempting to throw the murder weapon out of a 14th-floor window has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years.  

Fawaz Abdulkareem, 36, D.O.B. 13.04.1990 of Bondway, Southwark, was handed the mandatory sentence at Croydon Crown Court after a jury unanimously convicted him of the murder of 32-year-old Daniel Manuel and possession of a bladed article in a public place.  

The court heard that the fatal incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, July 5, 2025, after the two men had spent the evening at a nightclub before returning to Abdulkareem's Vauxhall flat with a group of friends.  

An argument subsequently broke out regarding money, resulting in Abdulkareem suddenly drawing a kitchen knife and inflicting three stab wounds upon Mr. Manuel.  

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Medical and forensic evidence presented during the trial indicated that the nature of the injuries suggested the victim was most likely stabbed while his back was turned, directly disproving the defendant's claims of self-defence.  

Following the violent assault, Abdulkareem left the flat with the weapon concealed in the waistband of his trousers, using his removed t-shirt to disguise the blade while reporting the injuries to communal lobby staff.  

Upon realizing that emergency services had been summoned, the defendant returned upstairs and recklessly hurled the blood-stained kitchen knife from the window of his 14th-floor apartment in a desperate bid to destroy evidence.  

Metropolitan Police officers arrived at the scene within six minutes of the 05:38 call and immediately performed emergency first aid on Mr. Manuel, who had collapsed in the building's lobby, but despite their best efforts and those of paramedics, he died at the scene.  

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An alert responding officer quickly noticed the victim's blood present on Abdulkareem's clothing, leading to his immediate arrest at the scene before detectives recovered the discarded murder weapon nearby.  

Detective Inspector Luke Hampton, who spearheaded the homicide investigation, condemned the act as a moment of extreme violence perpetrated by a man the victim believed was a friend, praising the hard work of detectives who saw through the defendant's calculated lies and attempts to deceive the police.  

In an emotional victim impact statement, the victim's wife, Zulal, described how the violent and sudden loss of her husband had completely shattered her world, deeply affecting every aspect of her emotional, physical, and financial survival in the aftermath of the tragedy.