Police have released images of two possible witnesses they want to speak to as part of the investigation into the death of a top chef near Notting Hill Carnival.
Mussie Imnetu, who had worked under celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, was found unconscious with a brain injury on Queensway, west London, at around 11.22pm on Monday 26 August.
The 41-year-old received medical attention at the scene outside the Dr Power restaurant before being taken to hospital, where he died on Friday 30 August.
Omar Wilson, 31, had been arrested two days after the attack and charged with causing grievous bodily harm, but this was changed to murder following Mr Imnetu’s death.
He is due to stand trial at the Old Bailey in February.
During a short hearing at the same court in September, the prosecution alleged Wilson “headbutted” Mr Imnetu after the two interacted “in the area” of the carnival.
Around 70 seconds later, Wilson, from Leytonstone, allegedly “punched the deceased five times to his head” and continued “punching him to the head” after he fell to the floor, the prosecution added.
Wilson has pleaded not guilty to murder.
At an earlier hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, the prosecution said Mr Imnetu had suffered catastrophic brain injuries, bleeding on the brain and multiple cardiac arrests.
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Command have released images of two possible witnesses as they “continue to build a picture of exactly what happened” to Mr Imnetu.
Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, who is leading the investigation, said the force would “like to stress that the two men pictured have not done anything wrong”.
He added: “We need to speak to two men who were near the Dr Power restaurant in Queensway between 23.10hrs and 23.30hrs on Monday, 26 August and who we believe may hold vital information.
“If you are one of these men, or if you know one of them, we’d like to hear from you.
“We’d also still like to hear from anyone else who has information and hasn’t yet spoken to us.”
The move comes after police released images of 16 people they were keen to speak to a few days after Mr Imnetu’s death. The force said none of those pictured had done anything wrong but could have held information that was important to the investigation.
Mr Imnetu, a Swedish national, had been visiting the UK on business from Dubai where he lived, the Metropolitan Police said.
He was the head chef of The Brasserie at The Arts Club Dubai, which said on its website he “hails from Eritrea and grew up in Sweden before taking positions in London and New York”.
The website also said he had worked under Ramsay and Wareing, as well as renowned chef Alain Ducasse.
