Adnan El-Chami was found guilty in Copenhagen City Court and handed a 16-year prison sentence for the stabbing murder of 38-year-old family man William Qurshie on September 15 last year at the city's notorious Café Louise. The 29-year-old’s co-defendant, Mohamed Daher, 28, was acquitted of murder but found guilty of two counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated assault in the brawl at the café. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and deportation.
Qurshie’s death was the end-result of a bar fight that started inside and spilled out into the street.
Prosecutor Andreas Emil Christensen had demanded life imprisonment for El-Chami, but his defence lawyer said that 14 years was long enough and the court agreed. Both defendants are considering appealing against their sentences. El-Chami’s 32-year-old brother received a three-month sentence for his part in the incident.
The victim’s friends said he was a quiet family man who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Café Louise has a history of violence, including a 2006 incident where a man opened fire with a pistol inside the bar and killed another patron.
