Thug, 20, who donned ‘Call of Duty’ style skull mask to stab an aspiring footballer, 18, to death is slammed by a judge for refusing to attend his sentencing as he is jailed for 23 years

• The victim has been described by his family as ‘polite, kind, and funny’

A killer who donned a ‘Call of Duty’ style skull mask to stab and aspiring footballer to death is slammed by a judge for refusing to attend his sentencing as he is jailed for 23 years. 

Timothy Adeoye, 20, knifed Donovan Allen, 18, in the chest in Enfield, north London, while looking for another teenager, on February 7, 2022.

Adeoye, who called himself ‘T Trapz’, threatened the men in a flat before stabbing Mr Allen with a blade from the kitchen in an ‘unprovoked and vicious attack’.

Mr Allen has been described as ‘polite, kind, and funny’ and a talented footballer who played for Hemel Hempstead Town Youth Football in addition to a ‘promising rap artist’. He was not the intended target but was attacked because his friends were involved in supplying cannabis.

Adeoye denied murder, possession of a bladed article, and threatening a person with a bladed article but was convicted by an Old Bailey jury.

Timothy Adeoye (pictured), 20, knifed an 18-year-old in the chest in Enfield, north London , while looking for another teenager, on February 7, 2022

He also denied attempted robbery by trying to rob the men in the flat of a batch of cannabis and was cleared of the charge.

Adeoye refused to come to court from HMP Pentonville to be sentenced after he also failed to attend in July.

Judge Philip Katz sentenced him to life imprisonment and ordered he serve at least 23 years before he can be considered for release on parole.

The judge said: ‘There is no evidence Donovan himself was involved in the dangerous world of drug dealing which I am sure led to his murder.

‘As he lay dying surrounded by people trying to save his life you ran away and left London.

‘Since being in court you’ve done nothing to help Donovan’s family and the police understand what really happened.

‘Throughout these proceedings you’ve refuse to tell the truth and lied to the jury.

‘I am sure you were in Enfield that day because you and others had arranged for you to be there as some sort of enforcer.

‘I am sure you intended to use your knife if necessary to stab someone.

‘The fact that because of your absence from court today means I am passing this sentence in your absence is not only evidence of your lack of empathy but also of cowardice.’

The judge had earlier told the victim’s family he could not force Adeoye to attend the hearing even via a video link from the prison.

Victim Donovan Allen has been described as ‘polite, kind, and funny’ and a talented footballer who played for Hemel Hempstead Town Youth Football

He said: ‘I hope everyone understands I can’t force him to sit in a cell at the other end and listen- I can’t do that the facilities just don’t exist.

‘I can’t guarantee if he will come into the link room or stay there.’

His father Orlando Allen said in a victim impact statement read to court: ‘How do I write about the impact? He was my first born son and he’s dead.

‘I should not be writing a statement about his life to be read in court – I find it soul-wrenching doing it.

‘He would have been 20 this year. He was killed when he was 18.

‘He will never be able to sit next to me in the chair, never have the opportunity to have his own son and daughter. I will never have the opportunity to be a grandfather and to play with his kids.

‘I will never be able to sit and reason with him or just talk nonsense, will never have him force me to stay up late and watch movies.

‘I will never see him sit down writing his lyrics or performing at shows he had lined up.

‘I look at my kids and I want to cry, they no longer have their brother.

‘I was there when he was born, I held him with [my] own hands but used my own hands to shovel the dirt to bury him.

‘My son is dead but the law doesn’t provide an eye for an eye. Timothy, why did you kill my son?’

Defence barrister Susan Meek said that Adeoye was involved with social services since the age of 13 and was drug dealing on behalf of older men when he was 15.

Adeoye donned a ‘Call of Duty’ style skull mask while he threatened and stabbed the victim 

In 2018 he was stabbed himself in two separate incidents.

Prosecutor Alan Gardner, KC, earlier said: ‘A number of young men were gathered in a flat in Bonnington House, the residence of an older man called Darren Sampson.

‘The defendant, who was 18-years-old at the time, travelled that afternoon from Barking to Enfield. He was carrying a knife.’

Mr Gardner said the alleged killer had been recorded on CCTV at Barking station just after 2.30pm ‘wearing a very distinctive face mask’ with a skull design printed on it.

‘That face mask is an important feature in this case: it is something the defendant wore during the course of the afternoon and at the time of the murder.

‘You will hear from the police officer responsible for collating and compiling the CCTV in this case that she viewed hundreds of hours of footage from numerous different cameras covering the area: Timothy Adeoye was the only individual she saw wearing such a mask.’

When he got to Enfield he spent some time wandering around the area on foot ‘looking for a young man’.

‘He went into the flat and threatened the occupants with his knife. A teenager arrived at the block a short time later. He was in company with the young man who died, Donovan Allen.

‘He threatened them with the larger knife with a view to robbing them. He was interrupted by a neighbour and Allen and the teenager took the opportunity to move away.

‘The defendant followed them and confronted them again. During that exchange the defendant suddenly stabbed Donavan Allen once in the chest.

‘It was an unprovoked and motiveless attack.

‘Allen did not get far before collapsing in a stairwell.

‘Unfortunately, Donavan Allen was beyond medical assistance and he died shortly afterwards.’

Adeoye fled the building and dumped the knife in a drain.

He then took phones from everyone in the room, demanded passwords and looked through phones.

Mr Sampson may have been taken advantage of so his home could be used as a drugs house by so-called ‘cuckoos’.

Adeoye was said to have been caught on the doorbell camera saying ‘Yes boss, what you saying, you good yeah….Let me come in for two seconds…Come out my way before I stab something up….Move, move bro.’

The door was opened by a man named Louis Evgeniou and Adeoye told him ‘move or I’ll shank you up’, the court heard.

Mr Allen was pronounced dead at 6.44pm.

Adeoye fled to Bristol before he was arrested at an address in Wiltshire three days later, the court heard.

He was about to jump from a first floor window before he was apprehended.

Adeoye, of no fixed address, denied but was convicted of murder, possession of a bladed article, and threatening a person with a bladed article.

He denied and was cleared of attempted robbery.

Speaking after Adeoye was convicted Detective Chief Inspector Linda Bradley investigating said: ‘Adeoye is a dangerous individual and while I am pleased with this guilty verdict, there is no court outcome that could return Donovan to his family. My thoughts are very much with them today.’

Donavan’s mother said: ‘Donavan was polite, kind, funny and talented and he was taken from us for no reason at all. There are no words to describe the loss. If I lost a husband I’d be a widow, and a child that loses their parents is an orphan…but for a sister who has lost her brother and a mother that has lost her only son, there are no words’.

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