Craigslist Murder: Judge Jails 5 Over Killing of Divorcee Who Fell for ‘Honeytrap’

Three men and two women have been sentenced for their roles in the death of Vishal Gohel, who was robbed and beaten after responding to an advert on Craigslist.

Georgia Bruce-Annan (L) and Tevin Leslie (R), who have been convicted of murdering Vishal Gohel in Bushey, England, on Jan. 23, 2022. Hertfordshire Police

ST. ALBANS, United Kingdom—Five people have been jailed for killing a divorcee who was tricked into a “honeytrap” after being set up by a woman he met on Craigslist.

Georgia Bruce-Annan, 22, Tevin Leslie, 23, and his cousin Sakeen Gordon, 22, were all jailed for life at St. Albans Crown Court on Friday for the murder of 44-year-old Vishal Gohel, who was found dead at his flat in Bushey, north of London, on Jan. 23, 2022.

They were told they would have to serve a minimum of 26 years each and were given concurrent sentences of 10 years for conspiracy to rob.

Brandon Browne and Faith Hoppie, both 22, were jailed for 15 and eight years respectively for manslaughter and were given shorter, concurrent sentences for conspiracy to rob Mr. Gohel.

The trial heard Mr. Gohel was referred to as “57” by the gang because he was known to have £57,000 in his bank account.

His aunt, Bonny Riby-Williams, read out her victim impact statement and turned to the dock, telling the killers, “You referred to Vishal as 57; the fact that you referred to him as a number showed how insignificant his life was to you.”

‘Idiotic, Nonsensical Lies’

She said several of the defendants had told “idiotic, nonsensical lies” when giving evidence during the trial, while others had been too “spineless” to testify.

Judge Richard Foster said all five were engaged in a “sordid little enterprise” which ended in tragedy because Mr. Gohel “either would not or could not” transfer money to them from his bank account and was then beaten and strangled by Leslie and Gordon.

The court heard Bruce-Annan was pregnant at the time of the murder and later give birth to a son while in prison.

Judge Foster told Bruce-Annan, “Sadly this means he will be an adult and well into his 20s before you will be eligible for parole.”

Her own lawyer, Paul Hynes, admitted her crime was born out of “greed, naivete, and immaturity,” but he said not being able to grow up with her son was one of the “tragic consequences” of her actions.

Mr. Gohel, an IT sales specialist, met Bruce-Annan, who was 20 at the time, through the listings website Craigslist and she “set him up.”

The divorcee and father-of-two—who used the pseudonym Sam—chatted with her on Jan. 22, 2022, and they agreed to a “sugar daddy arrangement.”

She then offered to bring over two of her friends for a cocaine-fuelled “sex party” at his flat that night.

Prosecutor Charlotte Newell, KC said it was a “honeytrap” and an hour after the three women arrived by taxi from Barking, east London, three men suddenly burst into the flat, tied up Mr. Gohel, demanded money and drugs, and then beat him up and left him for dead.

Sakeen Gordon (L), who was convicted of murder, Brandon Browne (C), and Faith Hoppie (R), who were convicted of manslaughter at St. Albans Crown Court in St. Albans, England, on July 12, 2023. Hertfordshire Police

Killers Got Away With £200 and 2 Devices

They got away with only £200 in cash, an iPhone, and an iWatch.

Ms. Newell said a neighbour noticed Mr. Gohel’s door was open on the morning of Jan. 23, 2022, and made a “horrifying discovery” when she entered the flat to check on him later that day.

After they were arrested it emerged Bruce-Annan and Leslie had been in contact with each other on the night of the attack.

Bruce-Annan and Hoppie did not give evidence but the others engaged in “cut-throat defences” where they blamed each other and sought to minimise their own role.

A sixth defendant, Tianna Edwards-Hancock, 20, was acquitted of murder, manslaughter, and conspiracy to rob by the jury in July.

Ms. Edwards-Hancock said Bruce-Annan had “set up” Mr. Gohel and had guided the men to the flat.

She said she was oblivious to any plan to rob Mr. Gohel, and she had not agreed to have sex with him, and was only there for the drugs.

It is not clear how Mr. Gohel and Bruce-Annan met on Craigslist as the UK site does not appear to have any personal ads, although one source told The Epoch Times that men and women seeking or offering sexual services sometimes used the jobs section of Craigslist but were removed if the website administrators spotted them.

In 2018 Craigslist said it was closing down its personal ads after the U.S. Congress passed the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act.

Craigslist said at the time the law subjected websites to criminal and civil liability, “when third parties misuse online personals unlawfully.”

Craigslist added: “Any tool or service can be misused. We can’t take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we are regretfully taking Craigslist personals offline. Hopefully we can bring them back some day.”

The Epoch Times contacted Craigslist for comment.