A man jailed for murdering a mother-of-nine and her sleeping nephew in their own home was found to have his human rights breached over the “excessive length” of time taken for criminal proceedings against him.
Drug dealer Obina Ezeoke killed Annie Ekofo, 53, and psychology student Bervil Ekofo, 21, in a flat in East Finchley, north London, on September 15 2016.
The then 28-year-old was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 40 years in 2020 after an unprecedented five trials over four years.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled there had been a breach of Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which states everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a “reasonable time”.
The judgment on February 25 read: “There has been a violation of Article 6 … of the Convention on account of the excessive length of the criminal proceedings against the applicant.”
Ezeoke also argued he did not have a fair hearing because of the delay, but the Strasbourg court rejected this and found despite the “undoubted strain” on the defendant in successive criminal trials, the court did not consider the proceedings unfair.
It also rejected Ezeoke’s call for immediate release from prison and did not award any compensation.
The court found that the four trials ended without a verdict because of factors outside the control of either parties.
The first trial in 2017 collapsed after the then trial judge suffered a bad back midway through, and two subsequent juries failed to reach verdicts in 2018 and 2019, despite a majority direction.
The fourth trial was abandoned due to the coronavirus lockdown just as the jury was deliberating in March.
The fifth jury to try the case deliberated for 41 hours over eight days to find Ezeoke, of Cambridge Heath, east London, guilty of two counts of murder.
Sentencing, Mrs Justice Cutts said: “Whatever the motive, you murdered two entirely innocent people.
“Your cold, callous and brutal murders of two people has not only cut short their lives but ruined the lives of many.”
