THESE are the faces of two men who have been convicted of murder in Westcliff.

Leon Wright and Wesley Hendrickson face life behind bars for the murder of Asqeri Spaho on Westcliff in December 12, 2019.

The two men went to the property in Tintern Avenue, Westcliff in the middle of the night to steal £50,000 worth of cannabis plants that were stashed there.

Two people inside the property were stabbed and one of them, 25 year-old Asqeri Spaho, was fatally injured.

The group then made off from the scene, discarding weapons, gloves and a balaclava before getting back into a vehicle and heading back to London.

Officers were called to a disturbance at the address at around 4.20am on 12 December, finding Asqeri Spaho and the other man injured inside.

Asqeri was, sadly, pronounced dead at the scene. The other man was taken to hospital for treatment on a stomach injury.

Officers also found cannabis being grown in two rooms and the loft.

Through analysis of CCTV footage and ANPR camera data detectives were able to identify the vehicles the group used.

DNA belonging to Hendrickson and Wright was also found on items that were recovered from the address.

The two men were convicted of murder by a jury at Basildon Crown Court today.

Four other men were convicted of aggravated burglary but acquitted of murder and attempted murder.

They will all be sentenced on Friday.

Det Insp Greg Wood, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “These men devised a plan to break into the address and steal the drugs being grown inside.

“The fact they armed themselves with weapons indicates they were prepared to use violence and once inside Wright and Hendrickson violently assaulted the two men they found there leaving, Asqeri Spaho to die.

“This is a dangerous group of men who are now facing a significant amount of time in prison.

“This was a challenging investigation but through detailed and methodical analysis of the evidence the investigation team has been able to present the strongest possible case which has led to these convictions.”