The thug who killed a man “for his mobile and a bottle of beer” while out looking for people to rob near Manor House station, has been jailed for a minimum of 30 years.

Adam Tarik, 26, of Pacific House, Vale Road, Haringey, attacked 33-year-old Baris Kucuk, who was Kurdish and from Turkey, after he spotted him in Seven Sisters Road at 2.30am June 1.

He pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a bladed article at the Old Bailey on February 3, and was found guilty of murder on Wednesday following an eight day trial.

Baris, who lived on the Woodberry Down estate in Finsbury Park and worked as a chef, had enjoyed a night out with his friends and was returning home when he stopped at an off licence near Manor House underground station to buy some beer.

He bumped into an Italian woman inside and Tarik spotted them as they walked along Seven Sisters Road, as they used a translation app on Baris' phone to communicate.

After the woman reached her flat she heard screaming from outside and looked out to see Baris lying on the ground underneath Tarik.

He had sliced through Baris' knee, severing the major arteries. He died of organ failure on June 3.

During their investigation detectives established that Baris' phone, as well as one of the bottles of beer that he had purchased at the off licence, had been stolen from him as he lay dying.

Det Ch Insp Neil John said the case had been one of the most upsetting he had encountered during his time as a police officer, and praised the detectives who secure Tarik's conviction, as well as the paramedics, doctors and nurses who tried to save Baris' life.

He added: "Tarik has shown no remorse during the entirety of these proceedings. He is a calculated and callous man, who from the very start was prepared to attempt to obstruct and frustrate police by claiming he was homeless, despite police quickly identifying his address not far from the scene of this murder.

"He is a wicked individual, entirely prepared to rob and steal, using such violence as he deems necessary to get what he wants. In this instance, it was just a mobile phone and a bottle of beer.

"Baris' family's grieving will continue for a long, long time. The way they have conducted themselves throughout this investigation and judicial proceedings, in the midst of their massive loss, is nothing short of astonishing."

In a statement Baris' family said the impact of his death had gone far beyond their family.

"The Kurdish community and our friends and family in the UK are horrified and devastated," they said.

"Thousands of people streamed into the hospital and Kurdish Community Centre in Haringey to pay their respects and comfort our family.

"We know if he was given a chance Baris would have not resisted, and he would have given whatever valuables he had, especially if someone with a knife was threatening him.

"The heartless criminal was clearly out to kill and rob, that was his only intention."