A teenager who lured a 19-year-old into a basement and stabbed him to death during a botched robbery has been jailed for 25 years.

Musa Salih, 19, of Launceston Road, Greenford, west London, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, for the murder of Harley Purdue. The term was reduced to 24 years and 30 days to reflect time Salih had already spent on remand.

The attack happened at about 3am on 2 December 2025 at an address in Thorold Road, Chatham, Kent.

A plan to steal money

Kent Police said Salih lured Mr Purdue to the building's communal basement with the intention of locking him in a toilet and then stealing money from his bedroom. When Salih tried to trap Mr Purdue in the toilet, an altercation broke out and Salih stabbed him eight times.

Mr Purdue's girlfriend tried to intervene, and Salih also attempted to injure her before fleeing the house and the Medway area. Kent Police launched an immediate manhunt after the attack, tracking Salih to Lewisham in south-east London, where he was arrested later the same day. The force described the assault as unprovoked.

Detectives later found that Salih had used an artificial intelligence application on his phone to search for legal advice and news updates about the incident in the hours after the killing.

Salih denied murder, but a jury at Maidstone Crown Court found him guilty on Thursday, 15 October 2026. He was found not guilty of wounding with intent in relation to Mr Purdue's girlfriend. The sentence was passed by Judge Saxby KC.

A man's death and his own detention

Detective Sergeant Alastair Worton, of Kent Police, said: "Salih's plan to steal Mr Purdue's money in the middle of the night, whilst armed with a knife, has resulted in a man's death and his own detention for 25 years."

He added: "The swift response to track him down in London, followed by a comprehensive investigation, ensured the jury rightly convicted him for the crime he denied. Our thoughts remain with Harley's loved ones, whose strength and dignity throughout our investigation and the court proceedings has been commendable."

In a statement, Mr Purdue's family said: "We would like Harley to be remembered as the fun, loving, gentle giant that he was." They thanked Kent Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for their support.

[Source: Kent Police](https://www.kent.police.uk/news/kent/latest/policing-news/murderer-jailed-after-fatal-stabbing-in-chatham/) | [Source: West London Times](https://westlondontimes.co.uk/crime/london-teen-jailed-for-25-years-for-chatham-basement-murder-2026/)