Wealthy man knifed by 'friend'

A member of a wealthy Jewish family was stabbed to death in the kitchen of his £2million home by a man he had befriended, the Old Bailey heard today.

The man accused of killing Daniel Keats had earlier told a girlfriend he went to Jewish areas "because they have money".

Tyrone Thomas, 31, who habitually carried a knife, had a history of "getting into people's lives" before borrowing money, then making threats and stealing from them, the court heard.

Wendy Joseph QC, prosecuting, told how Mr Keats's body found covered by a sheet in his home backing onto Hampstead Heath in October last year. He was wearing the apron he had put on to prepare a meal. Ms Joseph told the jury Mr Keats, 49, was single and lived alone. "His family lived nearby in large comfortable homes, a feature which may have played a part in attracting the attention of the person who killed him," she said.

Mr Keats was last seen alive with the defendant in a supermarket on Saturday 19 October. His body was found three days later and his Rover was found abandoned the next day. Forensic evidence pointed to Thomas having been in the car.

Also in the Rover was the murder weapon, a knife used with such force that it was bent.

The case continues.