The Knife #19 Magpie Tales

Two men have been found guilty of taking part in a random attack on two students, in which one was killed.


Peter Daniels died from a stab wound to the heart, his friend Alec Timms was taken to The Universal Hospital with serious head injuries. Matata Onokah, 19, from Barking and Terry Lowe , 25, from Ilford, were convicted of wounding with intent. The other youth who was 16 at the time of the attack admitted to murder.

Both the victims had been out celebrating Mr Daniel's 20th birthday on 16th January 2010 at Solo’s, a bar in Covent Garden, London. The young men left the bar at 0220 BST to wait to get a lift from Mr Timm's sister, when they were attacked by the three men. Mr Timms, from Chigwell, Essex, was punched in the face and head and was stabbed.

Mr Daniels, from Buckhurst Hill, Essex, had his jaw broken and was stabbed in the heart - he never regained consciousness.

The knife was retrieved at the scene of the crime and was described by the police as a 6 inch knife that was the sort that folded into its wooden handle. It has been traced back to a secondhand dealer with a stall in Brick Lane, who specialised in French items.

Even after a three-week trial, it was not clear why they were attacked, said Det Ch Insp Tony White.

Mr Timms a medical student at Durham University, described the attack as a '70-second frenzy'.

‘At the time of the attack, Pete and I were just standing there, chatting and laughing remembering our holiday and talking about his 20th birthday celebrations,’ he said.

‘We had just enjoyed a night out in Covent Garden with our friends and were waiting for a lift home from my sister when we were attacked. Seconds later Pete was dead. I still can't believe it.’

Lowe and Onokah, both labourers, were cleared of murder, but convicted of wounding with intent and causing grievous bodily harm.

A 17-year-old youth from Stratford, who was 16 at the time of the attack so cannot be named, has already pleaded guilty to murder and grievous bodily harm with intent.

All three are due to be sentenced on 23 June 2010.

The death of Peter Daniels is the 5th knife attack already recorded in 2010 in London.

(Reported by E. Lisse for The Evening Echo)