Mother saw gunman shoot son near Damilola Taylor centre, court told

A mother witnessed the moment a gunman opened fire and shot her son in the head in an alleyway near her home, a court has heard.

Jesse Lloyd-Smith, 20, was fatally injured close to the Damilola Taylor centre in Peckham, south-east London, the Old Bailey was told on Thursday.

At around 4.50pm last July 10, a silver-coloured Ford S-Max car containing the alleged killers drove slowly towards the alleyway, jurors heard.

Prosecutor James Dawes KC said: “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.”

The victim’s mother Ty Lloyd-Smith was in her flat only yards away and heard the noise of shots, the court was told.

Mr Dawes said: “She saw the shooter but what she could not see was her son because he was in the alleyway. She feared the worst and she shouted out Jesse’s name.”

She ran downstairs to find her son lying on the ground, shot in the head, jurors heard.

His friend Jamie Burgess was frantically trying to help him and an ambulance was called.

Mr Burgess allegedly told police a person called “S” was involved.

The victim was taken to hospital for emergency surgery but he died the next day.

A search of the scene with dogs, led to the recovery of four spent cartridges and two unfired bullets all from a 9mm automatic pistol, the court was told.

The shooting was partly captured on CCTV footage although it was from some distance away, Mr Dawes said.

The occupants of the S-Max car were 18-year-old Kywan JN Pierre and the alleged gunman, 19-year-old Gabriel Charles, both of whom fled the country after the shooting, the court was told.

JN Pierre, from Selhurst, south London, and Charles, from Southwark, south London, are on trial accused of murder.

Mr Dawes said a key issue for jurors would be whether the pair were in the car, as each had denied they were there.

He said: “It is the prosecution’s case that the first two defendants acted together as part of a joint plan or agreement to shoot Jesse.

“It is the Crown’s case that both occupants of the car intended that Jesse would be shot and consequently killed or at least caused really serious harm.”

Charles and JN Pierre are also charged with conspiring to pervert the course of justice with Ben Nguyen, 20, of no fixed address, Enver Francis, 22, from Southwark, Abdoul Guene, 18, from Peckham, Kadjo Kadio, 20, from Dartford, and a 17-year-old youth, who cannot be identified.

It is alleged the group had plotted to take away the Ford S-Max used in the fatal shooting and destroy it in a fire two days later.

Kadio and Nguyen are accused of assisting an offender by making and receiving transfers of funds “with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution” of Charles.

Kadio is charged with a similar offence relating to JN Pierre.

The defendants have denied all the charges against them as the trial continues.