A burglar has been found guilty of killing a shopkeeper in his own store during a "one-man crimewave".
Alex Gunn, 31, was caught on CCTV fatally stabbing 54-year-old Ravi Katharkamar at Marsh Food and Wine in Pinner, early on March 24, shortly after the trader had opened up.
Gunn could be seen on camera holding a knife to Mr Katharkamar's throat and grappling with him before stabbing him in the chest.
A jogger discovered the victim collapsed and alerted emergency services, who pronounced him dead at the scene.
The shopkeeper, who lived in Watford, had suffered two knife wounds, one of which fractured a rib and punctured his lung and heart.
Shopkeeper Ravi Katharkamar was stabbed to death. Credit: Met Police
Police in Marsh Road. Credit: PA
The masked assailant made off with the till and drove away in a stolen black Vauxhall Astra.
The Old Bailey heard that Gunn had visited Marsh Food and Wine twice in the stolen car before the fatal robbery, including one visit a week earlier, almost to the minute.
He was driving the Astra when he was arrested five days later, having changed the number plates to evade detection, jurors were told.
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones QC said Gunn was "sufficiently savvy" to cover himself with a balaclava and gloves during the attack on Mr Katharkamar, but his build, movements and other CCTV footage gave him away.
Alex Gunn captured on CCTV entering the shop. Credit: CPS
Describing Gunn as a "one-man crimewave", he told jurors he was also responsible for a string of burglaries and thefts all to fund his drug habit.
Gunn, of Pinner Grove, Pinner, denied being responsible for the killing but the jury found him guilty of murder, robbery, four burglaries, three thefts, and two counts of possession of a bladed article.
He was remanded into custody to be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday.
Devi Kharran, senior crown prosecutor within the CPS London homicide team, said: "This was a pattern of offending that escalated in March 2019 which tragically resulted in the death of an innocent family man who was working hard in his newsagent in suburban Pinner.
"Gunn targeted Mr Katharkamar, who was alone and vulnerable inside his shop. The murder was caught on CCTV, and although Gunn used every effort to conceal his identity, the police were able to use reports of local burglaries and various parts of CCTV footage to piece together his movements in the stolen car and eventually trace and arrest him.
"This case has had a real impact on the local community – particularly those who knew Ravi Katharkamar and were regular customers to his shop. I hope today’s conviction provides the family and friends of Mr Katharkamar with some degree of comfort."
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