Machete Gang Jailed For Life After Teenager Stabbed 12 Times Over Stolen Bicycle In Deptford
Three teenagers armed with machetes chased down and killed a 21-year-old man in a south London street after a dispute over a stolen bike escalated into fatal violence.
Robert Robinson died at the scene in Carteret Way, Deptford, on the evening of 6 June 2024 after suffering 12 serious stab wounds. His injuries included defensive wounds showing he had tried to protect himself during the attack.
The violence erupted after Jackson Uwagboe, then 17, robbed a boy of his bicycle and mobile phone on Deptford High Street earlier that same day. Robert was among a group who went to an address in Windlass Place looking for the stolen bike and the thief, but got no answer when they knocked on the door of a flat linked to Uwagboe’s associate.
After members of Robert’s group allegedly damaged two vehicles belonging to the family at that address, Uwagboe emerged from the property with Ryan Wedderburn and Kirk Harris. All three were carrying machetes.
They walked to Carteret Way where they spotted Robert, a friend, and the friend’s mother. The mother was already on the phone to police reporting the earlier bicycle robbery when the armed group appeared. Robert and his companions attempted to flee but he was caught and overwhelmed.
Emergency services were called at approximately 10:35pm but paramedics were unable to save him despite their efforts.
Within hours of the killing, Uwagboe was already making plans to leave the country. His friend Eromosele Omoluogbe, 24, purchased a plane ticket to Lagos, Nigeria, costing £1,129.89 on 7 June 2024. The following day, Omoluogbe and his brother drove Uwagboe to Heathrow Airport where he boarded the flight.
Uwagboe remained out of the country for more than eight months. He was arrested on suspicion of murder when he returned to the UK on 25 February 2025, landing at Gatwick Airport where officers were waiting.
Meanwhile, detectives had been piecing together what happened through painstaking analysis of evidence. Officers reviewed hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, examined phone records from more than a dozen suspects and witnesses, and studied bank account details to track movements and purchases.
DNA evidence proved crucial in linking weapons to the attackers. A knife recovered shortly after the murder was connected to Kirk Harris through forensic analysis. Months later, another blade was pulled from the River Thames and linked to Ryan Wedderburn using CCTV evidence.
Harris and Wedderburn were convicted of murder at the Old Bailey in May last year. Harris, 19, received a life sentence with a minimum term of 22 years and nine months, while Wedderburn, 18, must serve at least 23 years before being considered for release.
Uwagboe, now 19, of Hamilton Street, Lewisham, was found guilty of murder, robbery and possession of a bladed article at the Old Bailey on 10 February. On Wednesday, 18 February, he received a life sentence and must serve a minimum of 21 years in prison.
Detective Inspector Neil Tovey, who led the investigation, said Uwagboe’s claims of self-defence were entirely without foundation, noting that Robert was unarmed, already wounded and on the ground when attacked.
Omoluogbe was convicted of perverting the course of justice for his role in helping Uwagboe flee to Nigeria. He awaits sentencing at the Old Bailey on a date yet to be fixed.
Anyone with information about knife crime can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
