The brother of a male model stabbed to death near his west London home has said: “I’d swap places with him in a heartbeat.”
Harry Uzoka, 25, who was signed to leading London agency Premier Model Management, was found collapsed on a pavement in Old Oak Road, Shepherd’s Bush, with a knife wound to his heart last Thursday.
His older brother Edmund shared a photograph of Mr Uzoka on Instagram, writing: “He looked up to me and loved me unconditionally, I just wish I could hold him again and tell him how much I love him, how proud I am that he always put his friends and family first, how I wish I could be half the man he is, how I’d swap places with him in a heartbeat so that the world could still have him.”
George Koh, 24, and Jonathan Okigbo, 23, appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court yesterday charged with Mr Uzoka’s murder.
Koh, who is also a model who has worked for brands including Louis Vuitton and Paul Smith, is further charged with possessing an offensive weapon.
A family friend said: “Harry was such a gentle man, very respectable and he loved his family.
“A loving son, a great brother, the coolest uncle, the best cousin in the world and a great friend.” Model Jourdan Dunn tweeted: “Rest in paradise Young King.”
Mr Uzoka is featured in this month’s GQ magazine and had recently modelled for online clothing retailer Everlane in New York and high street clothing store Bershka.
Everlane said: “There’s so much more behind the person you’ve seen in our campaigns. Thank you, Harry, for being such a great person. Rest in peace.”
His ex-girlfriend Leomie Anderson, the Victoria’s Secret model and fashion designer, wrote on Instagram: “He wasn’t just my ex-boyfriend, he was one of my oldest and dearest friends. He didn’t deserve this and I am heartbroken.”
Koh, of Camden, and Okigbo, of Kentish Town, were remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey tomorrow.