Enfield man guilty after death of Therasia Gordon

Brian Sengendo, 27, of Gilbert Street, Enfield, was armed with a knife when he threatened one of the surviving victims that he would “enjoy” raping her, commanding her to do what he says otherwise he would kill her.

On the same day (August 4, 2020) he murdered Therasia Gordon and dumped her body by a roadside in Enfield.

Sengendo was found guilty of two counts of kidnap, rape, attempted murder, possession of a weapon in public and making threats to kill and murder.

Therasia Gordon was murdered. Credit: Met Police

He approached the first victim near a BP station in Edmonton at around 9.40pm on August 3 and threatened her with a knife as soon as she got into his white van – but she escaped.

His second victim then got into his van before midnight and was raped and stabbed several times while trying to escape.

While she suffered stab wounds to her face, neck and shoulders, these were not fatal.

Miss Gordon, a sex worker, was then the final victim as she was attacked inside the van and found two days later near the M25 at Burnt Farm Ride, with 18 stab wounds and several blunt force injuries.

A man alerted police that he heard a woman shouting “help” and saw a young black man striking at someone through the door of his white van.

The white van that Brian drove around. Credit: Met Police

Following the conviction, Miss Gordon’s mother, Jan, called the evidence in court “heartbreaking” saying she “can’t get the thought of her being in pain at his hands” out of her head.

She continued: “I can’t understand why this man made my family live through Theresia’s murder day after day through a long and difficult Crown Court trial. He knew what he had done but continued to make my family suffer.

“As a family, we will never get over the fact that I have lost a daughter and they have lost their sibling. I will never come to terms with what this person done to my child. He has left a big hole in my heart.”

Emma Currie, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said Sengendo is a “violent and depraved man”.

Sengendo will be sentenced at the same court on 18 March.