Man sentenced to life for stabbing friend over debt

A man has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering a friend following an argument over a debt. Fawaz Abdulkareem, 36, fatally stabbed Daniel Manuel, 32, at his flat on Bondway in Vauxhall, London, last July.

Abdulkareem was unanimously convicted of murder and possession of a bladed article at Croydon Crown Court on May 21. He was sentenced on Friday to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years.

The court heard that both men had returned to Abdulkareem's flat with a group of friends in the early hours of July 5 after an evening at a nightclub. An argument about money ensued, during which Abdulkareem stabbed Manuel three times with a kitchen knife.

Following the attack, Abdulkareem left the flat with the knife concealed in his waistband. He removed his t-shirt to disguise the weapon while reporting Manuel's injuries to staff in the building's communal lobby. When he realized emergency services were on their way, he attempted to dispose of the knife by throwing it from the 14th-floor window.

Responding officers arrested Abdulkareem at the scene after noticing Manuel's blood on his clothing. Throughout the investigation, Abdulkareem claimed he had acted in self-defense....