Two people have been charged with murder over a fatal collision in North Kensington that left a 24-year-old man dead in the early hours of Friday morning.
Charles Egonye, 19, of Wulfstan Street in W12, and a 17-year-old boy from Southall were charged on Wednesday. They were due to appear before Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning.
The charges follow their arrests on suspicion of murder on Monday, and relate to the death of 24-year-old Kariem Abdelhalim, who was found seriously injured on North Pole Road.
How the investigation unfolded
A murder investigation was launched after police were called at around 1.20am on Friday, 25 September, to reports of a man found seriously injured on North Pole Road. Officers attended alongside London Ambulance Service crews, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation moved quickly. By Monday, detectives had made their arrests — two people were held on suspicion of murder — and detectives were granted further time to question them. By Wednesday, the Crown Prosecution Service had authorised charges, and both suspects were due in court within hours.
Mr Abdelhalim’s next of kin continue to be supported by specialist officers, the Met said — the force’s family liaison officers stay with bereaved families throughout the investigation and court process, keeping them informed at each stage.
What happens in court
At a first appearance, magistrates deal with the formalities — confirming identities, reading the charges and addressing bail — before a murder case is sent to the Crown Court, where a trial would eventually take place. Murder is an indictable-only offence, so it cannot be tried at a magistrates’ court.
The decision to charge will have been taken by the Crown Prosecution Service under the full code test: whether there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, and whether a prosecution is in the public interest. Murder charges can only proceed where prosecutors are satisfied on both counts.
A first court appearance is only the beginning of a long legal process. After the magistrates’ hearing, the case will be sent to the Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing, where the defendants will formally enter pleas. If the case goes to trial, it will be heard before a judge and jury — a process that typically takes many months from charge to verdict.
Bail in murder cases is rarely straightforward: magistrates can only grant bail for murder in limited circumstances, and decisions often fall to a Crown Court judge.
One legal restriction to note: because one of the defendants is 17, he cannot be identified. Under-18s involved in criminal proceedings are automatically protected by reporting restrictions — no details that could lead to his identification may be published, including his name, address, school or any photograph.
North Pole Road
North Pole Road runs through North Kensington in west London, close to the busy junction with St Quintin Avenue. The street is a residential and commercial mix — and the original arrests drew significant attention to the area at the start of the week.
The case comes amid a busy period for west London policing — a man was charged in Woolwich this week in connection with a fatal stabbing, in another case moving quickly through the courts.
Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in Islington handles serious cases from across north and central London at first appearance. From there, murder cases are typically transferred to the Old Bailey or another Crown Court centre for trial.
This is a developing story — this page will be updated as the case progresses through the courts. If you have information about what happened on North Pole Road on 25 September, you can contact the Met on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
