A man has today been convicted of the murder of a curry takeaway driver who was hacked to death with a meat cleaver 15 years ago.

Moheuddin Bablu was caged for life with a minimum of 18 years over the murder of 25-year-old Abdus Samad on May 21, 1997, in Alwyne Road, Canonbury.

Mr Samad was lured to the road for a bogus delivery and was attacked by two people as he got out of his car.

He suffered more than 20 wounds to his head, face, arms, legs and body and died at the Whittington Hospital two hours later.

The killers left masks and in 1999 DNA from one was matched to Bablu, now 37. The other attacker has not been identified.

Mr Samad was the owner of Curry in a Hurry in St Paul’s Road, Canonbury.

Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Gary Dolby said: “The death of Abdus Samad was truly shocking, with an extreme amount of violence used as he was attacked in a quiet residential road.

“He was lured to the scene and then subjected to an horrific assault because he would not mediate in a dispute between two separate groups in his local community.

“Due to the extradition procedure it has been some time since the incident occurred but justice has finally been secured and I hope that Mr Samad’s family find some comfort in the conviction secured today.”

Bablu, of no fixed address, denied murder. The prison sentence will be less six-and-a-half years for the time spent in custody in Bangladesh awaiting extradition and in this country awaiting trial.