TURKISH CYPRIOT Rocky Djelal a father of one was murder near a children’s play area in Southwark in October 2018.
On Tuesday 15 December more than 2 years later, a man has been found guilty for his murder.
Stephen O’Rourke appeared at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 15 December where a jury found him guilty of the murder of 38-year-old Djelal. He was remanded in custody to appear at the same court for sentencing on a date to be determined.
Stephen O’Rourke
Police were called at 1.59 pm on Wednesday, 31 October 2018 to reports of a man stabbed in Southwark Park, Rotherhithe.
The attack happened near a children’s playground. O’Rourke, who had been seen in the park prior to the attack, approached Djelal and stabbed him with a knife in the back and side. Despite emergency service’s effects, Djelal died at the scene
O’Rourke was arrested on Friday 16 November and charged with murder the next day. His brother Jason O’Rourke was arrested with assisting an offender. He subsequently died while in prison.
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, who led the investigation, said: “Rocky Djelal’s murder has left a family devastated. His death has left a hole in their lives that none of us can imagine…”
The following statement has been released on behalf of Rocky’s family: “We are a very close family who adore each other and would do anything to help each other. Rocky was 38 when he was taken from us. He led a somewhat troubled and chaotic life and had to deal with the consequences of this. However, to us he was a brother, a son, an uncle and most of all a father. His daughter was 16 years old when her Dad was taken from her…
“His death has been debilitating for all of us. We miss the individual relationships we had with him and think about him every day. We are all really struggling with the physical, emotional and mental issues that come with losing someone so special to us. The real impact that Rocky’s death has had on our family cannot be put into words. Until you have lost a child, parent, sibling, relative or friend to such violence you will never truly understand the immense suffering or devastating effect it has on your life…”
