A second man has appeared in court charged in connection with the murder of 21-year-old film student Finbar Sullivan on Primrose Hill last week.
Khalid Abdulqadir, 18, from Camden, has been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent, violent disorder and possession of a knife, police said this morning.
Film student Finbar was stabbed to death when a fight broke out in front of shocked crowds on Primrose Hill in north London.
Oliuwadamilola Ogunyankinnu, 27, from Enfield, has been charged with his murder, and appeared in court on Monday when he was remanded in custody.
Charges against Abdulqadir, of Fellows Road, Camden, were announced on Tuesday morning by the Metropolitan Police, and he appeared in the dock at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court in the afternoon.
He did not enter any pleas to the charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, violent disorder and possession of a knife, as magistrates remanded him in custody and sent the case to the crown court.
‘This case involves a violent incident involving a number of people on April 7 at Primrose Hill and Regent’s Park,’ said prosecutor Rebecca Holder.
‘One male was fatally stabbed, and another was seriously wounded.’
Khalid Abdulqadir, 18, from Camden, has been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent, violent disorder and possession of a knife, police said this morning. A court sketch of Abdulqadir as he appeared at appearing at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court today
Finbar Sullivan, 21, studied at the London Screen Academy and produced music videos for drill rap artists under the name Sully Shot It
She continued: ‘A fight broke out involving two groups of males.
‘One group of males attacked the deceased victim, and the other group – including the defendant – attacked back.’
It is said the man allegedly stabbed by Abdulqadir had to have his spleen removed and also suffered a badly broken hand.
Abdulqadir spoke only to confirm his name, address and age during the brief court appearance.
He is due to appear at Inner London Crown Court for a plea hearing on May 12.
However, his case may be linked to hearings at the Old Bailey involving Ogunyankinnu, who is due to appear before a judge on Wednesday.
Ogunyankinnu appeared at Stratford Magistrates’ Court yesterday, when he spoke to confirm his name, address and date of birth.
He was not asked to enter any plea and was remanded in custody by district judge Ashwinder Gill. He will next appear at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.
Oluwadamilola Ogunyankinnu was previously charged with Finbar’s murder
A court sketch of Oluwadamilola Ogunyankinnu as he appeared at Stratford Magistrates’ Court yesterday
Finbar, who went to Acland Burghley School in Tufnell Park and studied at the London Screen Academy, followed his family into the arts, primarily producing music videos for drill rap artists under the name Sully Shot It.
Several tributes to him have been placed by wellwishers at Primrose Hill, including customised T-shirts featuring his face and his nickname, Sully.
His father, Christopher Sullivan, founder of 1980s band Blue Rondo à la Turk, said his son was trying out a new camera when he was attacked.
The grieving father previously told the Mail: ‘This is the worst tragedy I could ever imagine. He’s my only son… I had him when I was 45. He can never be replaced.’
Mr Sullivan, 65, who also set up Soho’s notorious Wag Club in the 1980s, described Finbar as a ‘middle-class kid with long hair’ who lived with him in a £1million flat in Maida Vale.
He said: ‘I’m so broken-hearted, I can’t believe it. He was the most beautiful, lovely, outgoing, loving boy. He was just a really lovely person. And why he was targeted, we have no idea.
‘He’d just bought a new camera, we all chipped in for his 21st birthday, and he took it up there to do a bit of filming.’
Finbar, centre, with his mother Leah Seresin and father Chris Sullivan
Videos from Primrose Hill at the time appeared to show groups of men fighting.
One witness, who asked not to be named, said: ‘The park was just so busy, I had gone with my mate after work and it was literally the busiest I have ever seen it because of the weather and it being Easter holidays.
‘Then suddenly we heard this commotion from behind us, and a big brawl kicked off – people were throwing punches, people were screaming at others to stop.
‘There were lots of people involved in the fight, most of them looked about 18 or 19.’
Mr Sullivan said he went to the scene as soon as he heard his son had been caught up in the violence: ‘I got the call at about six that he’d been stabbed, so I rushed up there.
‘I wasn’t allowed in because it was a crime scene, and by that point he’d had 20 minutes of CPR. He’d obviously died.
‘It’s Primrose Hill, for God’s sake… it’s like Hyde Park. It’s not somewhere you expect this.’
Despite the drill music scene’s long association with gang violence, Mr Sullivan insisted his son was not associated with any gang members.
Several bunches of flowers, cards and T-shirts have been placed in memory of the victim
A yellow forensic tent at the scene on Primrose Hill
‘He was just a little groovy 21-year-old who loved movies and making films,’ he said.
‘He didn’t drink, he didn’t smoke, he didn’t go out.
‘He’d stay at home editing his films six nights a week. He wanted to follow in his [grandfather’s footsteps] and be a cameraman.
‘He was a studious kid who just loved movies and making films. He recently did a video for Joseph Corre, Vivienne Westwood’s son.
‘We were just about to start a company together… he was going to do his showreel today with me. And now he’s dead.
‘His friend was stabbed in the back and hands trying to protect him. My son always tried to stand up for people.’
Finbar’s grandfather Mr Seresin is a celebrated cinematographer who worked on Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban, the film adaptation of Angela’s Ashes and on 1987’s Angel Heart which featured Robert De Niro and Mickey Rourke.
Mr Seresin also runs the Seresin wine estate in New Zealand, which counts Finbar’s mother Leah as a brand ambassador.
She had described him in a post on his birthday last year as ‘this gift’ and ‘my darling Finbar’, saying: ‘Love you to the moon and back.’
Detective Inspector Andy Griffin, from Scotland Yard, said: ‘We are following several lines of inquiry. This incident occurred in a busy, public park and there may be many witnesses who can help us piece together what happened.
‘We are aware of footage circulating on social media around the time of the incident, and urge anyone who has any information, including photos or videos, which could support the investigation to urgently contact us.’