A 27-year-old man charged with murdering a young filmmaker at a north London beauty spot has dramatically denied responsibility during a magistrates’ court appearance, insisting police arrested “the wrong person” as he raised his hands in the dock.
Oluwadamilola Ogunyankinnu, from Enfield, stands accused of fatally stabbing Finbar Sullivan, 21, during a mass brawl that erupted at Primrose Hill on Tuesday afternoon whilst Easter holiday crowds filled the popular viewpoint enjoying warm weather.
The defendant made an unprompted declaration of innocence at Stratford Magistrates’ Court after confirming his personal details, stating: “I didn’t kill anybody. I didn’t stab anybody. Police got the wrong person.”
District Judge Ashwinder Gill remanded Ogunyankinnu in custody ahead of his Wednesday Old Bailey appearance, with the suspect having been arrested Friday before Sunday’s murder charge. A 25-year-old arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender was released with no further action.
The victim’s grieving father Christopher Sullivan—founder of 1980s band Blue Rondo à la Turk and Soho’s infamous Wag Club—revealed his son was testing a new camera purchased as a combined 21st birthday present when the fatal attack occurred.
“He’d just bought a new camera, we all chipped in for his 21st birthday, and he took it up there to do a bit of filming,” the 65-year-old stated, describing the loss as “the worst tragedy I could ever imagine.”
Finbar—who produced music videos for drill rap artists under the professional name Sully Shot It—came from a celebrated creative family, with grandfather Michael Seresin serving as cinematographer on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban whilst operating New Zealand’s Seresin wine estate.
Mr Sullivan rushed to the scene upon receiving notification around 6pm: “I wasn’t allowed in because it was a crime scene, and by that point he’d had 20 minutes of CPR. He’d obviously died. It’s Primrose Hill, for God’s sake… it’s like Hyde Park.”
The father characterised his only child as “a studious kid who just loved movies and making films,” insisting Finbar maintained no gang connections despite his drill music scene involvement and resided with him in their £1 million Maida Vale flat.
Witnesses described numerous participants aged approximately 18-19 involved in the brawl, with one stating: “People were throwing punches, people were screaming at others to stop.”
Detective Inspector Andy Griffin urged witnesses to share footage circulating on social media, stating: “This incident occurred in a busy, public park and there may be many witnesses.”
