A thug who killed a man close to his home on the Woodberry Down Estate who he chanced upon whilst out looking for people to rob, has been convicted of murder.

Adam Tarik, 26, of Pacific House, Vale Road, Haringey, had pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a bladed article at the Old Bailey on February 3, but denied murder.

Tarik 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 was found guilty of murder this afternoon following an eight day trial, and will be sentenced on Thursday.

Baris, who lived 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 Mr Kucuk lying on the ground underneath Tarik.

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

During their investigation detectives established that Baris's 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 murder of Baris Kucuk is among the most needless and upsetting cases I have investigated during my many years as a police officer.

"Here we have an incident involving two men on completely different paths in life; Baris, who worked hard, had a loving family and friends and was a completely innocent party - and at the other end Adam Tarik, who 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."

In a moving statement Baris's family said their lives had been "plunged into an atmosphere of profound fear and anxiety" when they found out he had been murdered.

"It feels as if we too are now covered in the same soil that covers our Baris in his grave," they said.

"His name is Baris. It means "peace" in Turkish. He has always lived by and up to his name.

"Adam Tarik has been ice cold and callous showing no regard nor remorse for what this meant for us as a family, despite seeing that we were in obvious pain and desperate for answers. At the main trial, we watched CCTV footage over and over again, we saw him go out on the streets of London with clear intention to rob and attack wielding a large knife.

"We, Baris's family do not want another family to go through the pain we have gone through. Enough is enough. It is now time to take decisive action to halt knife crime and make our streets safer for our children and for everyone."