Neculai Paizan who murdered Agnes Akom in 2021 in North West London Convicted
By Ehi Ekhator Last updated Jul 19, 2022
Neculai Paizan seen with Agnes Akom entering container. Photo Credit: MET Police
A 64-year-old Neculai Paizan, who murdered Agnes Akom and buried her in Neasden in North West London in 2021, has been convicted of murder.
Paizan of Peel Street, W8, was found guilty at the Old Bailey on July 19.
He will be sentenced on Monday, July 25.
How Neculai Paizan Murdered Agnes
Agnes, also known as Dora, 20, went missing on May 11, 2021. She had left her home in the Cricklewood Broadway area two days earlier and had not been heard from.
Neculai Paizan with wheelie bin -10 May. Photo credit: Met Police
The police launched a missing person investigation and issued a series of public appeals to find her but failed. Her case was later transferred to detectives from the Specialist Crime Command.
The detectives backtracked and established that Agnes had entered Paizan's vehicle on Cricklewood Broadway on May 9, 2021
Detectives then tracked the vehicle to a makeshift home inside a large shipping container on North Action Road in Brent.
After an extensive review of her phone records, it was established that Agnes's phone had been in Paizan's vicinity for a year.
Detectives visited the shipping container to speak with Paizan on May 18, 2021, but upon arrival, several heavy-duty padlocks were used to secure a door at the end of the container, according to the police report.
Agnes heading to container. Photo Credit: Met Police
The court heard how officers requested the assistance of the London Fire Brigade to gain entry to the container; however, no one was found.
The police said Paizan arrived on the scene thinking his container was on fire. He was interrogated, and he admitted knowing Agnes and claimed he had met her two weeks earlier.
He was taken to Wembly police station to get his statement while other officers continued to view CCTV footage of the industrial estate to collaborate on his claims.
During the interview, Paizan statement changed, claiming he had taken Agnes to his container on May 9, 2021, and later dropped her at a nearby cashpoint machine and claimed he hadn't seen her after that.
Contrary to Paizan's claims, police established from the CCTV that Agnes entered the container on May 9, 2021, but did not at any time seen leaving.
The officer arrested Paizan based on the inconsistencies in his statement.
A further review of the CCTV showed Paizan carrying many items from the container to his car before visiting a skip and Neasden Recreation Ground.
Shipping container [view from Bedroom to front]
Officers found Agnes' coat inside the skip, and a full forensic examination of the container found blood that matched the deceased's DNA. Police said they also found blood stains in Paizan's car.
From analysis, police had deduced that Paizan had taken his victim to areas around the recreation ground.
On June 14, 2021, 36 days after Agnes was declared missing, officers along with specialist dogs searched the ground, and two police dogs gave the indication at a fallen tree.
Under the pile of logs and branches, officers found human remains that were later identified as Agnes.
The post-mortem examination established that Agnes had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, having been struck at least 20 times.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said:"Our thoughts today are with Agnes' family and friends, who not only have suffered from her loss but have had to endure hearing the details of her murder during this trial.
"The level of violence Paizan used in his attack on Agnes is truly horrific. What she suffered inside the container does not bear thinking about. Whilst it is not clear why he killed her that day, his attempts to hide his crime in the following hours and days show a calculated effort to ensure that not only was Agnes never found but that he would not be caught.
"Our enquiries, which started with phone data, quickly led us to identify Paizan as someone who had regular contact with Agnes. It was his actions that made him a suspect, and the resulting investigation led to him being charged.
"During his testimony at the Old Bailey, Paizan concocted a number of stories in an attempt to paint Agnes in a bad light. Our investigation, and what we know about Agnes, tells us that whilst she was vulnerable, he has clearly lied about her background and personal situation in an attempt to sway the jury.
"It is likely that he preyed upon these vulnerabilities to abuse her, ultimately leading to her murder."
DCI John added: "The work of my team in reviewing hours of CCTV footage, as well as that of our forensic colleagues in examining the crime scene – which Paizan had endeavoured to clean – was vital in establishing what happened to Agnes. This evidence was so strong that we were able to charge him with murder prior to us finding Agnes."
Agnes AkomNeculai PaizanPaizanWest London
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