A Battersea man has been found guilty of manslaughter over the death of a 67-year-old who was punched on Balham High Road after telling a child to take care on an electric bike.
Andre Wright-Walters, 38, of Este Road, Battersea, was convicted on Thursday, 29 October, following a trial at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court, the Metropolitan Police said.
The jury heard that Wright-Walters attacked James Gbadamosi after Mr Gbadamosi spoke to a child who was riding an electric bike fast along the pavement, close to pedestrians.
Police were called to Balham High Road at around 3.40pm on Sunday, 24 August 2025, after reports that a man had been assaulted. Officers arrived with London Ambulance Service paramedics and found Mr Gbadamosi with life-threatening injuries. He had been punched and struck his head on the ground.
He was taken to hospital, where he died on Friday, 5 September 2025, almost two weeks after the attack.
How the investigation unfolded
Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command pieced together Wright-Walters’ movements in the run-up to the attack, reviewing hours of CCTV footage, taking witness statements and analysing phone data.
Wright-Walters was arrested at his home on Wednesday, 27 August 2025, on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a Class A drug. He later pleaded guilty to the drug offence.
After Mr Gbadamosi died in hospital, Wright-Walters was arrested again on Saturday, 6 September, on suspicion of murder, and was charged the following day. Ahead of the trial, the charge was amended to manslaughter, and the jury found him guilty of that offence.
Detective Inspector Sarah Philippe, who led the investigation, said: “Our thoughts remain with James’ family as they continue to come to terms with this devastating loss. While no conviction can ever bring James back to his loved ones or undo the pain and suffering caused by his death, we hope today’s verdict provides them with a measure of closure and a sense that justice has been served.”
Second defendant cleared
Carla Brenton, 31, of Pier Road, Bexley, who was also charged in connection with the incident, was found not guilty of manslaughter. The verdict means Wright-Walters alone stands convicted over Mr Gbadamosi’s death.
In a tribute, Mr Gbadamosi’s family said: “James was a huge part of our family and his loss has left a void that can never truly be filled. He was loved by so many, especially his husband, who has lost his beloved partner and the future they had hoped to share together.”
Wright-Walters will be sentenced at the same court on Tuesday, 3 November.
Timeline: from Balham High Road to the verdict
24 August 2025: Mr Gbadamosi is punched on Balham High Road after speaking to a child riding an electric bike fast on the pavement. He suffers life-threatening injuries.
27 August 2025: Wright-Walters is arrested at his home on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a Class A drug.
5 September 2025: Mr Gbadamosi dies in hospital.
6-7 September 2025: Wright-Walters is arrested on suspicion of murder and charged the next day.
29 October 2026: After the charge is amended to manslaughter ahead of the trial, a jury at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court finds him guilty.
3 November 2026: Sentencing is due at the same court.
The case is a reminder of how quickly a pavement confrontation can turn fatal: what began, according to the court, as a remark about a child riding fast among pedestrians ended with a 67-year-old man dead and a manslaughter conviction more than a year later. The full details of the case are set out in the Metropolitan Police account of the conviction.
Elsewhere in London’s courts this week, a man was arrested over the Woolwich shooting that left a victim in critical condition, while police named two men in the Bethnal Green rape inquiry. In Plaistow, two men were taken to hospital after a double stabbing on Pelly Road.
