Askew Road man found guilty of summer murder of Jaabe Roberts

A man has been found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey following the death of Jaabe Roberts in Shepherds Bush in June 2010.

Karl Lashley (12.04.66 - 44 ys) of Askew Road, W12 appeared for trial on Thursday, 9 December charged with the murder of Jaabe Roberts, aged 28, in Askew Road, W12 on Wednesday, 9 June. He was found guilty of the murder today (21 December) and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years.

And thus brings to a close one of the most shattering incidents I have ever reported on, not least because it shook the community to its roots. On this blog a mother of another murder victim added to the comments with a poem, which I reproduce at the bottom of this article.

I can also now say that for the first and only time I had to put comment moderation on this blog because so many of you were naming Karl Lashley as a suspect, and I couldn't allow them at the time for fear of prejudicing the legal process that has now ended.

There was much speculation at the time but during the trial it seems that Jaabe had been involved in a disagreement with the defendant at the defendant's flat in Askew Road. This resulted in Lashley stabbing Jaabe with a small kitchen knife.

Jaabe made his way into street where he collapsed and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The murder was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), Homicide and Serious Crime Command (HSCC).

On 17 June Karl Lashley was arrested and later charged as above.

DI Tony Bishop, of the HSCC, said:

"We are committed to making London a safer city for everyone. The investigating team worked tirelessly to ensure that all available evidence was put before the court. I would like to thank the many witnesses and the community in Shepherds Bush who came forward to give evidence. Our thoughts remain with the family of Jaabe Roberts who have lost a brother and son."

I still think of that day every time I go down the Askew Road, and I suspect I'm not the only one.

Here's what a mother of another murder victim wrote on the blog in the days following the death of Jaabe:

The love a Mother has,

Runs so very deep.

That love is so special
It's in her heart to keep.

A Mother's heart is broken,
She is ripped apart inside,
There is a part of her missing
It left her when her child died.

So, please don't tell me to get over it,
For this I cannot do.
Unless you understand my feelings,
And this has happened to you.

Only another Mother, who has lost a child,
Can understand my pain,

Because they also suffer daily,

As the memories of their child remain.

We are a band of Mothers'
Whose hearts can never heal,
For the loss of our children,
Is for us, so very real.