Two brothers from Ilford, Essex, were convicted of killing 20-year-old Ibrahim Gharib in east London in March 2010. Gharib's body was pulled from the Shadwell Basin.
Although no witnesses saw Mr Gharib go in the water, the Chowdhury brothers Amran, 27, and Misba, 24, were convicted of manslaughter for taking part in the attack and will be sentenced on a date to be set this week. A post mortem examination revealed that Ibrahim Gharib had drowned in the 30 feet deep water. The brothers had both denied manslaughter and the alternative charge of affray.
Mr. Gharib was the cousin of actress Laila Rouass, who came fourth in the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing in 2009. After his death, Ms. Rouass said her family was 'devastated'. “It's a terrible waste of life”, she added.
Steffi Rai, 26, Amran Chowdhury’s ex-girlfriend too, was convicted of perverting the course of justice by trying to help him evade the police. She too had denied the charge and will be sentenced on 3 October.
Detective Constable Darrell Etchells, the investigating officer from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said, “These convictions mark the end of a long and extensive investigation to bring to justice those responsible for Ibrahim’s death. No motive has ever been discovered for the attack but I hope Ibrahim’s family can find some peace in the fact that the jury are satisfied the Chowdhury brothers were responsible for his death.”
