LONDON // In his first defence statement in July Philip Spence denied even touching a claw hammer and accused his co-defendant, Neofitos “Thomas” Efremi of the vicious attacks that left three Emirati sisters with crushed skull and life-threatening injuries.
Spence, of Alperton, north-west London, now admits bludgeoning Emirati sisters Khuloud Al Najjar, 36, and her sisters Ohoud, 34, and Fatima, 31, from Sharjah, during a raid on April 6 at the suite of the Cumberland Hotel in Marble Arch, central London. But he denies attempted murder.
Khuloud woke up in the early hours, prompting Spence to pull a hammer from his leather jacket and rain blows on the sisters’ heads in front of their terrified children, Southwark Crown Court heard.
“Philip Spence was not in possession of a claw hammer and nor had he used or touched such an implement on that day of any previous day in connection with this matter,” his original statement read.
“Philip Spence did not attack any person in the suites 7007 or 7008 but was aware there was an attack perpetrated by Thomas Efremi who was at all material times present in suites 7007 and 7008 while Philip Spence was there.
“Philip Spence was not aware that Thomas Efremi had on his person a hammer and it was not part of any agreement between them that any weapon would be used while stealing from suites 7007 and 7008.”
However, Spence accepted in front of the jurors that his original statements were lies.
“The whole point of this was to make out it wasn’t me,” he said.
He also told jurors he could not remember a vile boast he made at the police station because he was high at the time. Spence allegedly said: “There ain’t no blood on the hammer, I licked it all off, it went down my mouth,” in a barrage of unsolicited comments.
“The shocking truth, Mr Spence, is that you are exactly that person – merciless and barbaric, that’s true isn’t it,’ asked Simon Mayo QC, the prosecutor.
“That is not true, I’m a different person now to what I was back then,” came the reply.
The trial continues.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Dunki
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if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013