London model found guilty of killing rival after sleeping with his girlfriend
At the young age of 24, George Koh may have ruined his chances of becoming one of the most influential models in the world.
The London model has been found guilty of killing a rival, Harry Uzoka, over a woman.
Koh stabbed Uzoka, a 25-year-old popular model, in the heart on January 11. The fight occurred after Koh bragged about sleeping with Uzoka’s model girlfriend, Ruby Campbell.
The rivalry had come to a head following Koh’s claims, until the fateful day, when Koh messaged Uzoka to ask about his location so they could fight.
“Where you I’ll come there n we can fight bring ur friends with u,” Koh’s message had read.
And Uzoka duly replied: “Come Shepherd’s Bush.”
That meet up near the victim’s Shepherd’s Bush home would change both of their lives for the worst. Uzoka, who was with his flatmate Adrian Harper at the time, didn’t come out of it alive.
Shortly after the confrontation, he had told Harper “I’ve been stabbed,” and collapsed on the road.
Harper, who also had a metal pole, told jurors: “I was expecting a fist fight but I took the bell bar because I knew we were outnumbered.
“I had no idea and did not expect that knives would be used and I would not have gone out if I had thought knives would be used.”
The court heard that prior to the fight, Uzoka, who had recently landed a film role, had become annoyed by “the less successful copycat Koh”.
Koh, who had arrived at Uzoka’s door steps with two friends – 24-year-old Merse Dikanda, and his personal trainer, 24-year-old Jonathan Okigbo – told the court he was not guilty of murder.
He only pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing a knife, with claims that he had two knives because he was scared Uzoka and his friends would beat him up.
“Although Merse had a machete and I had two knives it was Harry who was the aggressor,” he told the court.
An Old Bailey jury, however, found him guilty of murder, along with Dikanda.
Okigbo was convicted of manslaughter.
Uzoka had, before his death, modelled for GQ, while Koh had modelled for Louis Vuitton.
All three men will be sentenced on September 21.
