A MAN has been sentenced to life in prison for murder, after fatally stabbing a 26-year-old to death in West Ealing.

Ismail Yusuf, 20, of Hanger Lane, was found guilty murdering Mehran Heydari on April 30 and was sentenced on May 4.

Police were called in the early hours of November 24 2019 to reports of an injured man near West Ealing Station, on Drayton Green Road.

Mehran was found by officers and paramedics in a vehicle suffering from a stab wound and died a short time later.

A post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be a single stab wound to the heart.

A witness explained that he had been sat in a window which looked out onto the pavement on Avenue Road and outlined what he saw.

He heard loud voices like someone was fighting and saw a man lying on the road while another man was on top of him.

He could see the man on top's right shoulder, heard him shouting and could see his arm going up and down in a stabbing motion three or four times before fleeing the scene.

The victim in his desperate attempt to get help got into his car and tried to drive away, before crashing into another vehicle.

An investigation was launched and homicide detectives identified Yusuf as a suspect.

An extensive manhunt ensued, with various addresses being searched, before Yusuf attended a police station on December 2 2019, where he was arrested.

He was charged with murder and remanded in custody until his sentencing last week.

Detective Sergeant Brian Jones, of the Specialist Crime team, said: "Mehran Heydari was the victim of a brutal assault at the hands of Ismail Yusuf.

"His death has left his family devastated.

"They will live with the impact of Yusuf's actions for the rest of their lives - this is the tragedy of knife crime.

"I hope this urges those offenders who carry knives and other offensive weapons to seriously consider the impact of their decision.

"Yusuf is an incredibly dangerous individual and I have no doubt that the streets are a safer place now he is behind bars.

"I hope the guilty verdict today begins to bring some justice and peace to his family who have had to deal with an awful and tragic situation."