A man has been convicted of “brutally” killing a woman on Christmas Day following an argument while watching TV.
Yahya Aboukar, 27, was on Thursday convicted of the manslaughter of Kirsty Louise Ashley at a property in Newham.
Police were called to an address in Earlham Grove just before midday on December 26 last year. Inside Mr Aboukar’s bedroom, officers found signs of struggle, including a bar bell weight, a claw hammer and clothing, all of which was stained with blood.
Mr Aboukar had fled the bedroom via the window but was located by officers nearby. After a brief foot chase, he was detained and arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.
The body of Ms Ashley, 29, was found in the back garden along with a section of blood stained carpet from the bedroom in a black bin bag.
Mr Aboukar was further arrested on suspicion of murder.
CCTV enquiries by homicide officers would later show Aboukar dragging Ms SAhley’s body into the garden.
A post-mortem gave her cause of death as blunt force trauma.
The injuries were mainly to her face and head, causing fractures and hemorrhages. Injuries to her hand indicated that she had tried to shield herself from the blows.
A neuropathologist concluded she had been repeatedly struck in the face with a very heavy object, such as the bar bell or the claw hammer.
Ms Ashley and Mr Aboukar had known each other since 2020 and were in a relationship of sorts, the Met Police said.
Mr Aboukar had told police during an interview that the pair had argued on Christmas Day while watching TV together.
He claimed that Ms Ashley had become violent at which point he had hit her twice. He went on to allege that she had struck her head on the bar bell as she fell.
During trial, Mr Aboukar said he had “lost control” and his defence offered a guilty plea to manslaughter.
The jury found him not guilty of Kirsty's murder and convicted him of manslaughter.
Detective Inspector Francis Copley of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: “Kirsty Ashley weighed just 8 stone 2 lbs, she was no match for Aboukar and could not defend herself against him
“The attack launched on Kirsty by Aboukar was incredibly brutal. There can be no justification for this level of violence and it is right that he will now pay for his actions with his freedom.”
Mr Aboukar will appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court for sentencing on Friday.
