Trial Date Set In Murder of "Big Bad" James Oyebola

two of the three men on trial are from Putney & Roehampton

Twenty three year old Dean Francis from Roehampton and 22 year old Kanyanta Mulenga from Putney and 19 year old Rene McKoy will appear in court on 1st September 2008 charged with the murder of former boxer James Oyebola in Fulham last July.

Mr. Oyebola, who was from the Paddington area, had been working with the security team at the Chateau 6 club when at 12.55am on 23rd July he was shot in the head and leg. He was taken to Charing Cross hospital but a few days later his life support machine was turned off.

There appears to have been some sort of altercation between three men and security following a disagreement over smoking in the covered courtyard at the rear of the premises. Police believe that James attempted to intervene and assist security when he was shot.

James was known as 'Big Bad' because of his 6ft 9" frame but his friends described him as a gentle giant. Born in Nigeria he represented England in the 1986 Commonwealth Games where he lost to Lennox Lewis. He won 18 of his 23 professional fights before retiring in 1996.

January 4, 2008