Defendant Jailed for Murder After Admitting Drug Use and Trial Disruptions

A defendant who confessed to being “tripping out” on drugs while repeatedly failing to appear for his murder trial has been given a life sentence for his role in a fatal ambush. Vittorio Di Murro, from Walthamstow, east London, was apprehended in Anzio, Italy, in October 2023. He had fled there two days after he and others attacked 25-year-old Jordan Briscoe with a knife on 5 March 2023. Mr. Briscoe was drawn to Arnold Road in Tottenham, north London, by what the prosecution described as a fabricated invitation from a woman to meet for drug acquisition. Di Murro, who is mandated to serve a minimum of 25 years, was initially tried alongside five co-defendants. However, the court heard that he was subsequently discharged from those proceedings due to consistently “disrupted proceedings” through non-attendance. In March, Jahoe Allen, 33, Karl Black, 43, Ayuub Kigozi, 18, and Jabir Sitar, 21, were found guilty of murdering Mr. Briscoe. Christina Manen, 36, received a conviction for manslaughter. Judge Anthony Leonard KC noted that a separate trial was arranged exclusively for Di Murro, but his pattern of non-attendance persisted, encompassing missed pre-trial hearings and 11 conferences with his legal representatives. At the Old Bailey on Friday, Judge Leonard stated: “On December 12, a day when you were said to be unfit to attend court although you seemed capable of attending a social visit in prison… you acknowledged that you had taken something that was ‘good’.” He added, “You described yourself as ‘tripping out’.” Di Murro did not present evidence in his trial and was convicted of murder on Wednesday. Following this, he “dispensed” with his legal team and declared his intention to represent himself. Judge Leonard commented: “I have gone through the history of this to show why I have proceeded to sentence with you being unrepresented and in your absence.” He further declared, “I consider you to be unrepresentable.” The judge clarified, “I make it clear that your behaviour does not affect the sentence I impose.” He concluded by saying, “What your behaviour has done is cause the family of the deceased to have to constantly put up with interrupted proceedings which must have caused them strain and I pay tribute to their fortitude.” Listeners can access the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk. Copyright for this content is held by BBC 2024. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites and provides information on its approach to external linking.