A ruthless London gang armed themselves with a ter
A ruthless London gang armed themselves with a terrifying array of guns and executed a married man after a petty parking dispute, an Old Bailey jury heard today.
(fri)
Victim Dion Holmes, 29, was gunned down at a sports centre in Stonebridge, northwest London by members of the so-called ‘Lock City Crew’ who set out on a ‘mission of revenge and retribution,’ said prosecutor Richard Horwell.
The gang armed themselves with a formidable arsenal, including revolvers and a pump-action shotgun.
And later they confronted Mr Holmes at the complex and shot him dead in front of his wife, the court heard.
Mr Horwell told the jury: ‘Even in these days of seemingly increasing violence the circumstances of his death were remarkable.
He was shot by one of an armed gang who descended upon a sports complex on a mission of revenge and retribution.
‘The armed gang had at their disposal a variety of firearms, from handguns, revolvers and self-loading pistols to a sawn-off pump action shotgun.
‘
Mr Horwell said their ‘desire for revenge was based on, of all things, a parking incident earlier that day.
‘The parking incident consisted of a relatively minor squabble which escalated when a firearm was either shown or its use threatened.
‘
But the dispute involving Mr Holmes’s wife outside the Bridge Park Complex, in the shadow of Wembley Stadium, came to an end when police arrived at the scene.
And the prosecutor said ‘although that incident was relatively minor it heralded the extreme violence that was to follow.
‘
The jury heard that the five defendants were all members of the Lock City Crew and one of their ‘haunts’ was the sports complex where the row arose.
One of the motives behind the revenge shooting was what the gang considered to be a ‘lack of respect to them and what they considered their property.
‘The combination of such a view and ready access to firearms led to the loss of a life.
‘
One of the men in the dock accused of taking part in the murder is David Lewis, 50, who worked at the leisure centre as a security adviser.
Lewis, of Empire Court, Wembley, and four other men now deny murder and possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence on May 1 last year.
The others are Leonard Cole, 27, of Wiltshire Gardens, Haringey, Jermaine Hamilton, 22, of Western Court, Carlton Vale, Kilburn, Winston Harris, 39, of Wakeman Road, Kensal Green and Stephen Murray, 26, of Mortimer Road, Kensal Green.
Mr Horwell said earlier on May 1 Mr Holmes’s wife Anne-Marie Fenderson (corr) had angered staff at the sports complex when she parked immediately in front of the main doors.
Another security man, Tony Tuffs, argued with Mrs Fenderson and she broke a bottle and threatened him with it, the jury heard.
But Mr Tuffs pretended he had a gun and police arrived at the scene.
Twenty minutes later Mrs Fenderson returned to the scene with Mr Holmes, and there was a further argument.
Mr Horwell said it was then that the crew started to assemble and they picked up a bag of guns from an address of one of Henderson’s relatives as they ‘plotted their revenge.
‘
The court heard how inside the sports centre the mob confronted Mr Holmes, his wife and another woman and unleashed at least seven shots from three different weapons.
‘No doubt they wanted to defend their territory, and above all else, teach this impudent group a lesson they would never forget,’ said Mr Horwell.
Harris, nicknamed Escobar, guarded the door and fired a pistol as Hamilton, known as ‘my lord’, blasted his pump-action shotgun.
The group then fled leaving ‘mortally wounded’ Mr Holmes behind.
Mr Holmes, who had been shot once through the heart and liver, was bleeding on the floor, as emergency services arrived.
He was rushed to St Mary’s Hospital but died shortly afterwards.
The gang had made off in two cars.
The trial continues.
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The gang who shot down a married man following a parking dispute believed that they were ‘untouchable’, the Old Bailey heard.
One member of the Lock City Crew was caught on a surveillance camera saying:
‘We are the Lock City Crew, we do not give a **** about the police or anyone else!’
And after the parking row Winston Harris, known by the street name ‘Escobar’, commented: ‘Nobody should come down on our lane and show disrespect.
‘
Later he bragged: ‘If you show the Lock City Crew disrespect then you will find yourself at the wrong end of violence.
‘
Prosecutor Richard Horwell had told the court how on May 1 last year Anne-Marie Fenderson, parked her Burgundy Nissan outside the front entrance to the Bridge Park Sports Centre.
‘She had two female passengers in her car and an argument took place.
One of the guards at the complex, Tony ‘Tuffs’ Ray, asked Miss Fenderson to park the car properly.
The car was not moved and an argument ensued.
Miss Fenderson broke a bottle which she used to threaten ‘Tuffs’ but she managed to cut her hand on the bottle.
‘Tuffs’ pretended at the least that he had a gun and, according to Miss Fenderson, pulled one out and threatened her, Mr Horwell told the court.
The police were called at 3.
02 pm and although they could not understand what the irate woman was saying, the disagreement appeared to end.
‘Any sensible altercation should have ended there,’ continued the prosecutor.
‘But Miss Fenderson returned 20 minutes later in her same car but with another, a silver Golf.
She had enlisted the help of her husband.
‘Her husband approached ‘Tuffs’ and it started all over again.
Abuse and insults followed.
‘Fifteen minutes later some of the Lock City Crew arrived at the sports centre.
That building was regarded as one of their bases.
When they discovered what had happened on their territory they became excitable and plotted their revenge.
The woman and the husband left but the dispute was far from over.
The Lock City Crew assembled an armed posse to track down the couple.
Eight men in three cars descended on the William Hill betting shop in Stonebridge Precinct and demanded information from one ‘unfortunate man’, Raymond Wallace.
When they marched into the betting shop Escobar grabbed Wallace by the throat with one hand holding a pistol in the other.
As the gang demanded information about their targets Escobar shouted out: ‘We are the Lock City Crew and we don’t give a **** about anyone else’.
One of the mob pointed out that there were cameras in the shop and the video tape was demanded from staff who replied that there was no camera.
‘It is an indication of the arrogance of this gang who thought they were untouchable that they said: ‘**** the tape we will get it later,” continued counsel.
‘But this was a mistake because the police later seized the tape’.
And Mr Horwell said there can be no ‘doubt’ that the gang members were present at the betting shop.
Four of the defendants then jumped into two cars, picked up Everton, and cruised the streets, the court heard.
After spying Mr Holmes, his wife, and another man, heading towards the sports centre, the gang headed off to Hamilton’s mother-in-law’s house to pick up a bag of guns, it is claimed.
Mr Horwell said: ‘Their heckles were raised, and no doubt they wanted to defend their territory and, above all else, teach this impudent group a lesson they would never forget.
‘They drove to the Bridge Park complex.
There followed a scene more reminiscent of the Wild West than north London on a Saturday afternoon.
‘The other group had got to the complex first, and congregated near the front entrance.
‘When the Lock City Crew arrived, they were armed and quickly sought revenge.
The husband from the other group was picked out and Escobar attacked him, hitting him on the head with his handgun.
‘
The court heard that, as Escobar guarded the door and started shooting, Hamilton began blasting his sawn-off shotgun.
The two women fled, and the Lock City crew ran out shortly afterwards.
Mr Horwell said: ‘They left behind the mortally wounded Dion Holmes.
He had been part of the other group.
He had been shot once to the left side of his chest.
‘The bullet passed down through his heart and liver.
and stopped to the side of his spine.
‘A scene of devastation was left behind.
‘
When emergency crews arrived, Mr Holmes was lying on the floor, bleeding profusely.
He was rushed to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, but died shortly afterwards.
The jury was told that experts later confirmed at least seven shots had been fired at the scene, from three different weapons.
Later Murray, nicknamed ‘Beamer’, was arrested with a bunch of keys to a flat at Danby House, Frampton Road, Hackney.
When the flat was searched officers found a 7.
62mm automatic pistol.
‘Scientific tests have estabished that the rounds found by the door of the Bridge Park complex had been fired by that pistol,’ said Mr Horwell.
In a water tank at the flat officers also discovered a loaded .
545 Smith and Wesson revolver.
There was also a Nike sports shirt allegedly worn by Murray in the betting shop and a white Ralph Lauren top worn by Harris.
Mr Horwell said all the gang were guilty of murder because they had been involved in a joint enterprise.
‘The common purpose was to seek violent retribution upon the other set,’ he told the jury.
The trial continues.
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