ONE of the gang who stabbed Matalan manager Jamie Simpson to death in a bungled robbery in East London has been jailed for life at the Old Bailey today. Kobina Essel, 19, used a 10ins kitchen knife when he stabbed 33-year-old Jamie in the neck during the abortive raid

By Keir Mudie

ONE of the gang who stabbed Matalan manager Jamie Simpson to death in a bungled robbery in East London has been jailed for life at the Old Bailey today.

Kobina Essel, a 19-year-old from Poplar in London’s East End, used a 10ins kitchen knife when he stabbed 33-year-old Jamie in the neck during the abortive raid at the store in Dalston in March, 2008.

Essel was sentenced to a minimum 20 years for murder and 11 years for conspiracy to rob, the sentences to run together.

Jammal Chambers, an 18-year-old from Poplar, recruited some of the gang members. He was given seven years.

Randy Osei-Owusu, 17, also of Poplar, was convicted of manslaughter, together with Simeon Jumah, 25, from Manor Park.

Anthony Maina, 20, from Canning Town, had been on police bail at the time of the robbery after stabbing a teenager to death during another robbery five months earlier. He was later convicted for the murder of 17-year-old Rizwan Darbar. Today, Maina was given indeterminate sentences “for public protection.”

The gang had planned to steal �30,000 in weekend takings from the store, but fled with nothing.

Two others were found guilty of conspiracy. Roy Williams, 31, was a security guard at the store who tipped the gang off about the cash. He got 10 years. Duane Owusu, 20, the getaway driver, and was jailed for eight years.