Man jailed for involvement in killing of Junior Osborne

A man has been jailed for life after he was found guilty for his part in the death of Junior Osborne.

Clifford Alvarez – known as Cliffy – was found guilty of murder on Wednesday afternoon (12 February) following a trial at Leicester Crown Court. He was also found guilty of possession of an offensive weapon.

Today (Friday 14 February) he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years.

In May last year, Nero McLean was convicted of murdering Mr Osborne, 50, in Leicester on 27 September 2023.

During the same trial, four others – Nevardo McLean, Theobald ‘Thendo’ Budzwa, Moises Steiner and James Williams – were convicted of manslaughter. CCTV evidence showed the group together before, during and after Mr Osborne was fatally stabbed as he cycled along Narborough Road.

One man, who was seen to be part of the group, was riding a pushbike. He stopped in front of Mr Osborne as he tried to ride away – moments before he was stabbed.

The identity of the man on the pushbike remained unknown at the points when the other defendants went to trial. His image had been published by the independent charity Crimestoppers, but a name was not provided despite the public appeal.

During the trial, Nero McLean and two other witnesses called to give evidence referred to the unidentified man as ‘DJ’. Following their conviction, officers were able to identify ‘DJ’ as Alvarez and he was arrested on 9 July last year. Despite denying he had that nickname, 45-year-old Alvarez was positively identified and charged.

Clifford Alvarez

Detective Inspector Mark Parish, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), was the senior investigating officer. He said: “We always knew there was another person involved in the plot to kill Junior and that he needed to be brought to justice.

“Due to information disclosed during the previous trial – and the perseverance of the investigation team – we were able to positively identify him as the man on a pushbike who stopped Junior, allowing Nero McLean to fatally stab him.”

“I hope this provides some reassurance to our community that we will always seek to bring those responsible for such awful acts to justice.”

• Further details on the case can be found here: https://www.leics.police.uk/news/leicestershire/news/2024/june/group-jailed-for-killing-man-in-narborough-road/
• A statement from Mr Osborne’s family can be found here: https://www.leics.police.uk/news/leicestershire/news/2024/june/statement-from-the-family-of-junior-osborne/