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Old Bailey Jury Convicts Duane Owusu of Murdering Zahwa Mukhtar

CCTV evidence underpinned the verdict, with sentencing set for Thursday.

Overview

  • Footage showed Owusu ejecting Mukhtar from an overcrowded car on Chadwell Heath Lane around 4:30am before punching her and driving off, with later clips capturing him calling a companion a “weak link” for wanting to return.
  • Police stopped the car shortly after the assault, recovered a small quantity of drugs and later linked the vehicle to the crime via CCTV, leading to Owusu’s arrest on August 17 and a no comment interview.
  • Mukhtar, 27, a profoundly deaf finance assistant at the Young Vic Theatre, was found unresponsive at 5:31am and pronounced dead at 6:21am from a fractured skull and brain injury.
  • During the trial, the victim’s brother, Abas Mukhtar, lunged at the defendant in the witness box and was fined £1,000 for contempt after the judge described the scenes as appalling.
  • Owusu denied intending serious harm and claimed he only pushed her to de‑escalate the situation, while detectives described him as remorseless; sentencing is scheduled for March 12.