Teenager sentenced to life imprisonment for fatal attack on cannabis dealer

A 19-year-old individual involved in a robbery has received a life imprisonment sentence for the “torture” murder of a cannabis dealer. The motive for the crime, which took place in north London, was £30,000 worth of drugs. Proceedings at the Old Bailey revealed that on May 11, 2022, a group of men forcibly entered the Whetstone residence of Olsi Kuka, a 25-year-old Albanian national, while he was sleeping. They proceeded to ransack his flat in search of his cannabis supply. During the early morning raid, Mr. Kuka sustained four shots to the head from a BB gun before being fatally stabbed with two knives, according to evidence presented in court. Reuben Bernard, from Northamptonshire, who was 17 years old when the attack occurred, was found guilty of murder, wounding with intent, and conspiracy to rob. Bernard, who was the final member of the group to receive a sentence for what the judge characterized as a “determined and deliberate joint attack,” was imprisoned on Tuesday with a minimum term of 22 years. Citing victim impact statements, Judge Lynn Tayton KC stated that Mr. Kuka’s parents were “very shocked” by the “brutality” of their son’s death, adding that they are “emotionally and physically devastated.” Mr. Kuka’s body exhibited 10 knife injuries and four metal ball bearings lodged in his scalp. Prosecution barrister Philip McGhee referred to the incident as a “frenzied attack” on Tuesday, stating: “The prosecution case is that it was done to in effect torture Mr Kuka to make him reveal the whereabouts of the drugs.” In her address to Bernard, Judge Tayton remarked: “Olsi Kuka was a cannabis dealer but he was also a person with a family who loved him and miss him and whose lives will never be the same because you killed him.” Bernard, from Wootton, acknowledged entering the bedroom but asserted that the victim produced a gun and aimed it at another individual’s head. He stated that he punched Mr. Kuka in the face to compel him to release the firearm, after which someone else caused his death. Bernard, who had a prior conviction for knife possession, alleged he was coerced into stabbing the victim three times to avoid being stabbed himself. Jason Pitter KC, representing the defense, contended that while a robbery had occurred, it was “not a murder done for the purpose of gain,” a claim the judge “clearly” refuted. Mr. Pitter further argued that the court could not be certain of an intention to kill, a point the judge accepted. In earlier court proceedings, four other individuals implicated in the attack received prison sentences ranging from six to 11 years.