Teenage gunman faces life sentence for murder of football star’s brother
A teenage killer who shot dead the brother of an international footballer with a converted blank firing gun is facing a life sentence.
Jesse Lloyd-Smith, 20, was hit five times in an alleyway near the Damilola Taylor centre in East Surrey Grove, Peckham, southeast London on 10 July 2024.
His sister Lexi Lloyd-Smith, 22, plays for Bristol City in the Women’s Championship and England U23s.
The gunman had jumped out of a stolen Ford S-Max before taking aim at Jesse with a 9mm automatic pistol.
Mr Lloyd-Smith’s mother Ty found her son lying on the ground with bullet wounds to the head,
Gabriel Charles, 19, who was wearing an ankle tag at the time, denied but was convicted of murder by an Old Bailey jury today (thurs).
Data from his ankle tag linked Charles to the location of the S-Max in the lead-up to the killing.
It emerged that he booked three tickets to try and leave the UK – but missed them all because he was incapable of getting to the departure gate on time.
Charles shot Jesse dead with a converted Turkish blank firing pistol.
Top-venting blank firers (TVBFs) had been legal to buy in the UK without a licence by over 18s but tests by the National Crime Agency showed they can be readily converted into lethal firearms.
Similar converted guns were used in the killings of Sebastiaan James-Kraan, 20, in Ealing in June 2024 and in the fatal shooting of Tyler McDermott, 17, in Tottenham in April 2023.
An amnesty and law change was imposed earlier this year due to their ease of conversion and popularity amongst organised criminals.
Possession of the guns can now lead to a ten year jail sentence.
Kywan JN Pierre, 18, was cleared of murder by the jury after the three month trial.
JN Pierre, Enver Francis, 22, Abdoul Guene, 18, Kadjo Kadio and Ben Nguyen, both 20 and a 17-year-old, who cannot be named, all denied but were convicted of conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
The charge related to torching the S-Max after the killing and transferring cash to Charles so he could flee the country.
Kadio and Nguyen were also convicted of assisting an offender.
Judge Richard Field, KC, will pass sentence on a date to be fixed.
Prosecutor James Dawes KC ealier told the court how Jesse was gunned down in an alleyway next to his mother’s home in Pear Court.
Mr Lloyd-Smith’s friend, mentor and former football coach Jamie Burgess, was with him at the time of the shooting, the court heard.
They were walking Jesse’s dogs shortly before the shooting.
‘The S-Max passed the Damilola Taylor centre, turned the corner and stopped.
‘One of the two men exited the S-Max. He was holding a gun, and he ran towards Jesse firing the gun as he went.
‘There were at least five shots.
‘Some of the shots hit Jesse knocking him to the ground.
‘The gunman ran back to the car which drove away.
‘Jesse’s mother was in her flat only yards away from the shooting when the shots were fired. She heard the noise of shots; she looked out of the window and saw a boy dressed in black shooting a gun towards the alleyway.
‘She saw him fire a couple of shots, she saw him back away, put something in his pocket and get into the back seat of the car stopped on the road.
‘The car then drove away.
‘Increasingly desperate attempts were made to stabilize Jesse, to stem the bleeding.
‘Jesse was taken to hospital for emergency surgery, but Jesse’s wounds were too serious, and he could not be saved. He died the next day. Jesse was aged 20 when he died.’
Mr Dawes told jurors the weapon used ‘was a 9mm automatic pistol and likely to be a converted Turkish Atak Arms Zoraki model 917.’
He claimed that both Charles and JN Pierre were in the S-Max and ‘acted together as part of a joint plan or agreement to shoot Jesse.’
‘There was a record of Gabriel Charles’ ankle tag coming into range of the base unit at 40 Calypso Crescent at a time when the S-Max was passing on the way to the shooting,’ added Mr Dawes.
‘Jamie Burgess told police that a person called “S” was involved,’ said Mr Dawes.
‘There is evidence that Gabriel Charles used the name S.’
Police later seized three phone handsets belonging to JN Pierre including one which had stored Charles’ number against the name ‘S’, the court heard.
‘There had been contact with S, before and after the shooting.’
Charles cut off his tag after the killing and made a series of attempts to leave the UK.
He attempted to take a flight to Istambul – but missed it.
A friend tried to help him by booking him a flight to Kingston, Jamaica but he failed to make the depature lounge in time.
He booked a Eurostar train to Paris – but missed that too.
‘He rebooked for the next day and this time he caught the train and booked a last-minute flight from Paris to Cairo, Egypt which he took.’
He returned to London from Cairo on 22 July 2024 and was inititally arrested for cutting off his tag.
Charles was finally arrested for murder in Uxbridge on 27 November.
Gabriel, of Lympstone Gardens, Southwark, and JN Pierre, of Cambridgeshire, denied murder.
JN Pierre, Francis, of Southwark, Guene, of Peckham, Kadio, of Romford, Nguyen, and the 17-year-old who cannot be named, all denied conspiracy to pervert the course of justice by setting fire to the Ford S-MAX after the killing.
Kadio, of Romford, and Nguyen further denied assisting an offender.
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