Man, 63, stabbed to death in café for asking if diner's crying daughter was alright

 
Facing life: Matthew Quesada, 26
13 July 2012
WEST END FINAL

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A knifeman faces a life sentence today for stabbing a man to death for asking if his crying daughter was all right.

Matthew Quesada, 26, was convicted of murdering Alan Smith, 63, in a "frenzied and wordless" attack, at the Old Bailey last month.

Mr Smith was stabbed five times in front of his partner and daughter as "revenge" for asking if everything was all right with the little girl.

Mr Smith went to the BB Cafe in Leyton, east London, on March 26 last year when he asked Quesada about the crying child.

Quesada replied: "What's it to do with you? Go away. What's it f****** got to do with you?"

Mr Smith was "eager to avoid confrontation" and so went with his partner, daughter and son-in-law to the nearby Roma Cafe.

Meanwhile, Quesada took his daughter home to his partner Maria Brigitte, and came back with a knife that he used to wordlessly attack Mr Smith.

The next day he was found in a car with his mother Victoria Passley-Quesada, 54, having cut his hair. He had his passport with him and details of flights to Brazil.

Brigitte, 26, from Walthamstow, east London, was found guilty of assisting an offender for keeping him updated about the police investigation, and will also be sentenced today.

Passley-Quesada, from Purley, south London, was cleared of assisting an offender.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Steve Meechan said: "Alan Smith was a well-meaning man who simply wanted to inquire about a distressed child.

"He paid for his concerns with his life. Not happy with verbally abusing Mr Smith, Quesada went on to carry out a frenzied and unprovoked attack on a defenceless man.

"His actions have left a family grieving for a loving father who had simply left his home for a meal. We hope that today's result will bring them some comfort after everything they have had to go through."

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