Leonardo, of Maitland Park Villas, NW3 was found guilty of the murder of 52-year-old Maria Mbombo following a trial at the Old Bailey on Monday, 14 November.The court heard how Leonardo had carried out the attack at some point in the afternoon or evening of 18 May in their Maitland Park Villas address.
The exact time of the attack has never been established but what is known is that the couple’s three children, two sons and a daughter all aged in their 20s, had left the flat at different times that morning – the last leaving at about 11:30hrs. This left Leonardo at home with Maria.
Shortly before 23:00hrs, one of the couple’s sons returned to the flat with a friend but could not get in as the door was locked from the inside. Despite shouting and banging on the door no one responded.
As he waited outside the address his other brother returned. They then noticed their father leaving the flat covered in blood. They asked Leonardo what had happened but he just walked past them. Fearing what may have gone on, the brothers ran to the flat and found their mother lifeless on the bedroom floor.
The police and the ambulance service were called but Maria was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination at St Pancras Mortuary on Friday, 20 May determined the cause of death as multiple incised wounds.
Leonardo was found just after midnight in Queen’s Crescent, NW5. He initially stated he had been injured by a knife but then revealed to officers he had been involved in a fight with his ‘wife’.
He was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries which were later revealed to have been self-inflicted.A search of the address gave an indication of the scale and nature of the attack. A knife used to attack Maria was found broken in two pieces in the living room. There was also evidence that Leonardo had attempted to clean up blood from the flat.
Leonardo was arrested on suspicion of Maria’s murder on 19 May and subsequently charged.Detective Inspector Simon Deefholts of the Homicide and Major Crime Command said:
“Leonardo has never revealed the exact events of that day in Maitland Park Villas and tried to claim in his defence that he lost control before launching the attack. However, our investigation revealed that Leonardo had a history of violence towards Maria, including another incident where Maria sustained three knife wounds while on a visit to Belgium in March 2016.
“No offences were reported to police in the UK but it is clear that Leonardo was a violent man who could not control his temper.
“Domestic violence should not and cannot be tolerated. The Met has a robust policy on dealing with domestic abuse and an extensive network of partner agencies to provide on-going practical support. Wherever we identify barriers to reporting domestic violence, we will endeavor to break them down and safeguard those in violent or abusive relationships.”
Leonardo was found not guilty on a second count of perverting the course of justice.He will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 15 November.
