London man jailed for Barnsley murder

A 28-year-old London man has been jailed for 18 years for the murder of 26-year-old Lazarus Makono.

Earlier this year, on Wednesday 21 February, Lazarus Makono, also known as ‘Laz’, was fatally stabbed to death at a house party in Goldthorpe, Barnsley.

Emergency services were called at 1.21am to a house in Co-operative Street, where officers found Laz with stab wounds to his chest. Despite the best efforts of police and paramedics, Lazarus sadly died at the scene a short time later.

The court heard how a disagreement and fight had broken out between Laz and two other men at the party, Sipho Pfukani and Terrance Mlotshwa. It ended with Pfukani stabbing Lazarus repeatedly before leaving him to die and fleeing from the scene.

Pfukani hid from police that night before handing himself in just a day later on 22 February at Nottingham Police Station, where he was arrested on suspicion of murder.

A detective-led investigation saw officers uncover clothing that had been worn by the men at the time of the murder discarded in a woodland area near to the scene. The knife used to stab Laz was also recovered by officers from inside the house.

Following a two-week trial, a jury found Pfukani guilty of murder on 28 October at Sheffield Crown Court. Today (11 November), Sipho Pfukani, of Luxembourg Mews, London, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 18 years.

Detective Chief Inspector Ben Wood, the senior investigating officer leading the murder investigation, said:

“This was a cruel and senseless knife attack by Pfukani that resulted in the brutal loss of life.

“He cowardly fled the scene, leaving Laz to die and hid from police knowing exactly what he had done. Despite handing himself in to police he still pleaded not guilty to murder. I’m pleased that Pfukani has now been found guilty of murder and will spend a significant number of years of his life behind bars.

“Although this is a lengthy sentence, nothing can undo the destruction and devastation Pfukani has caused. I hope it gives those who knew Laz a sense of closure and that they can rebuild and move on with their lives."

Terrance Mlotshwa, 28, of Ripley Avenue, Derby, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, also at Sheffield Crown Court, to one count of assisting an offender and one count of fraud. He was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.