Teen convicted of manslaughter after asthma inhaler DNA matched to crime scene cigarette butt

A 19-year-old has been convicted over a fatal stabbing after police matched DNA on a cigarette found at the scene to that on his asthma inhaler.

Ali Abdul Basit was convicted at the Old Bailey on Friday for his role in killing Michael Patrick Afonso Peixoto, 27, Metropolitan Police said.

Basit's conviction followed a two-year investigation, after he fled to Pakistan.

Mr Peixoto was attacked in Thornton Heath in south London on 19 December 2023, police said.

A group of men in a white BMW were seen waiting in the road when Mr Peixoto arrived with a friend in a Vauxhall Grandland on the night of the killing.

The 27-year-old father was stabbed multiple times with a knife after he stepped out of the car, including once in the chest as he attempted to climb back in.

The victim's friend was threatened with a knife and forced out of the car. The vehicle was later found abandoned nearby.

Mr Peixoto was found by police officers on the floor with multiple stab wounds, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three men were convicted for their part in the attack in December 2024, after police found DNA on cigarette butts located at the scene.

Zak Baako, 30, was found guilty of Mr Peixoto's murder on 20 December, 2024, and was later sentenced to a minimum of 28 years in prison.

John Budal, 20, from Thornton Heath, was found guilty of manslaughter and robbery and Omari Peat, 23, from Mitcham in south London, was found guilty of robbery.

Basit, from Mitcham in south London, fled to Pakistan after he was seen at the scene of the robbery before Mr Peixoto's murder, police said.

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Police used mobile phone data and other evidence to link Basit to the three convicted men, and he was arrested when he returned to the UK in May last year.

DNA found on an asthma inhaler found at Basit's house during a police search matched the DNA found on a cigarette butt at the scene.

Detective Inspector Martin Thorpe, who led the investigation, said: "Basit returned to the UK after the conviction of three other men in connection with Michael's death, possibly on the false pretence that he has got away with his actions.

"What Basit didn't know is that our officers had compiled an extensive amount of evidence, including phone data, which linked him to the other three convicted men at the time of the assault.

"After he was arrested, our officers were able to get his DNA from an asthma inhaler at his house, which matched DNA found on a cigarette butt at the scene."

Basit will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on 22 May, police said.

(c) Sky News 2026: Teen convicted of manslaughter after asthma inhaler DNA matched to crime scene cigarette butt