Honeytrap Killers: Women begin seducing the victim before he is killed in a vicious knife attack
A man posing on Instagram with two Rolex watches was killed after two women used the date rape drug GHB in an attempt to rob him.
Saul Murray, 33, had been put in a honey trap by Surpreet Dhillon and Temidayo Awe, who seduced and stripped him.
He was found naked in a pool of blood in the communal entrance of his flat in New Town Street, Luton, after their male accomplices, Ikram Affia and Cleon Brown, were summoned as the drug failed to knock him out.
Police were later able to identify Affia from a signature and rare designer Moncler jacket he was wearing. It matched the one carried into the cameras the night of the offense.
Affia was found guilty of murder and sentenced Friday to life with a minimum sentence of 25 years. The others were convicted of manslaughter.
CCTV footage was played for the Luton Crown Court jury. Surpreet Dhillon and Temidayo Awe can be seen in the building
Awe left to meet the two men around 2:30am to lead them back to the flat
Saul Murray is pictured in a swimming pool wearing a Rolex
Dhillon and Awe entered the flat around 11:30 pm on February 26 last year.
CCTV footage played to the Luton crown court jury showed the women, who admitted to similarly assaulting other men, leaving the flat, followed 19 seconds later by the two men. Affia carried a large knife in his right hand.
The Rolex watches were fake and Murray, a father of six, had no expensive items in the flat he had only just moved into.
A jury found Ikem Affia, 31, of Shore Place, Hackney, London, guilty of murder.
Surpreet Dhillon, 36, of Carnarvon Road, London; Cleon Brown, 29, of King Edward’s Road, South Hackney; and Temidayo Awe, 21, of Saunders Street, Gillingham, were convicted of manslaughter.
All four defendants were convicted of conspiracy to rob Murray between February 8 and February 28. Affia was also found guilty of having a knife.
Brown was sentenced to 11 years in prison, Dhillon was sentenced to 10 years and Awe was sentenced to seven years.
At the trial, Prosecutor Jane Bickerstaff KC said: ‘Mr Murray can be seen just a few seconds after the men. He hobbles and is completely naked. He opens the common door, falls over and dies.’
She said a night shift worker called 999 after coming home an hour and a half later to find Murray in a pool of blood.
CCTV footage played before the Luton crown court jury showed the women, who admitted to assaulting other men in a similar manner, leaving the flat, followed 19 seconds later by the two men
Ikram Affia (pictured) carried a large knife in his right hand
Surpreet Dhillon, 36, was one of two girls who seduced and stripped Saul Murray. She was sentenced to 10 years for manslaughter
Temidayo Awe, 21, was also convicted of manslaughter. She was sentenced to seven years
An autopsy revealed that he died of a deep wound to his thigh. It penetrated his femoral artery and he bled to death.
The murder took place in the early hours of Sunday, February 27 last year after Surpreet Dhillon contacted Murray via Instagram and WhatsApp.
The four defendants traveled to Luton from London late Saturday, February 26, in a Mercedes A-class car rented by Brown.
Murray met the two women outside his flat as the two men left in the car, using a Drive-thru McDonalds.
She said the two women shared brandy with Murray and “they gave him GHB to knock him out.”
The prosecutor said: ‘Mrs Dhillon and Ms Awe admit they entered the flat with GHB and gave it to him. They admit they’ve done this before – trapping men and stealing items from them, including watches, while those men are sleeping. The drafted men also received GHB.’
A jury found Ikem Affia, 31, guilty of murder. He was sentenced Friday to life with a minimum sentence of 25 years
Cleon Brown, 29, was convicted of manslaughter. He received 11 years in prison
Murray was found naked in a pool of blood in the communal entrance of the New Town Street flats, after the two men who worked with the women – Ikram Affia, 31, and Cleon Brown, 29 – entered his home to steal his valuables (Pictured: the targeted Rolexes)
CCTV footage of Affia and Brown at a KFC on February 22 has been released
Police were later able to identify the killer Affia through a signature and rare designer Moncler jacket he wore
She said there was clearly some degree of sexual activity between the two women and Murray at one point. Swabs from both sides of his face and neck contained DNA from both women. The GHB dose had not been strong enough to knock Murray out and the two men were contacted.
The police linked Dhillon to the victim via the Instagram contact. Awe was picked up through her social media contact with Dhillon.
Affia wore the £1,350 jacket on the spot. Detectives found that only 69 of these coats had been sold in the UK. Telematics in the car linked him to a KFC in London.
When she gave evidence, Dhillon admitted to targeting six men in similar honey traps between October 2021 and February 2022. One victim lost £32,000. She said Awe had been involved four times.
In a personal statement from the victim, the victim’s father, Colin Murray, described Saul as a wonderful son. He said he saw his son die on CCTV.
He said, “It’s the last thing I think about before I go to sleep and the first thing I think about when I wake up.”
Saul Murray (pictured), 33, was targeted by Surpreet Dhillon, 35, and Temidayo Awe, 21, who seduced and stripped him after meeting at his home in Luton
Pictured: Investigators on scene after Murray’s murder last February
Pictured: A police cordon outside Murray’s property in New Town Street, Luton
Pictured: Tribute left outside Murray’s home
Judge Michael Simon said Murray’s life had been “brutally cut short.”
He said, “Nothing this court says or does can mend the cavernous emptiness in the hearts and lives of those to whom Saul Murray meant so much.”
The judge added, “Something went wrong with the primary plan. The court cannot say with certainty what exactly went wrong with the available evidence.’
He said Dhillon had been living a “predatory lifestyle” by targeting men on social media.
He said, “Something that seemed like an easy money game had the potential to go wrong.”
After the verdict, Detective Inspector Dale Mepstead of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said: ‘This was clearly a planned attack, facilitated by Dhillon and Awe and carried out by Affia and Brown.
“It’s clear from the way the two women used a sedative on Murray and the fact that Affia was armed with a knife that they were willing to get what they wanted at any cost – which, unfortunately, was Murray’s life.”
He added: ‘This was a very lengthy and complex investigation, examining hours of CCTV, phone records, vehicle telematics and other evidence to place them all at Murray’s flat at the time of the breach.
“I hope knowing that all four people involved in this horrific incident will be locked up for a very long time can bring some justice to Saul’s loved ones.”
The case will be featured in the documentary 24 Hours in Police Custody later this month.
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