Westcliff stab death: Pair jailed for life for drug break-in murder
Two men who broke into a property to steal cannabis and murdered a man have been jailed for life.
Leon Wright and Wesley Hendrickson, both 32, killed Asqeri Spaho, 25, at a property in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, on 12 December 2019. Wright and Hendrickson, both from north London, were found guilty of murder and were sentenced at Basildon Crown Court to minimum jail terms of 30 years. Four other men, also from London, were jailed for aggravated burglary. Det Insp Greg Wood said those sentenced "committed crimes driven by greed and violence and, sadly, it cost Asqeri his life". "Wright and Hendrickson have received lengthy sentences for murder, and the others for their part in the burglary, which rightfully reflects the terrible consequences of that night," he said. "I want this to be a message to anyone involved in similar circles - we will not tolerate violent crime in Essex, and we won't let drug crime slip under the radar either." The group - Wright, Hendrickson, Mitchell Harris, Scott Heaney, Brian Kinloch and Durald Sokoli - had met in London with a plan to burgle the property. They armed themselves and travelled to Southend-on-Sea before going to Tintern Avenue in Westcliff-on-Sea and breaking into the address through a bathroom window. Two people inside were stabbed, including Mr Spaho, who died at the scene. Officers also found cannabis being grown in two rooms and the loft. Wright, of Highbury New Park in Highbury, was found guilty of attempted murder and pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and ordered to serve a minimum term of 11,314 days. Hendrickson, of Ashford Crescent, Enfield, who denied all charges, was found guilty of attempted murder and aggravated burglary and ordered to serve a minimum term 11,247 days. Sokoli, 28, of Ayley Croft, Enfield; Kinloch, 32, of Beachcroft Way, Archway; Heaney, 23, of Hurlock Street, Highbury; and Harris, 29, of no known address, were each jailed for 13 years. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk