Tonight:
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The family of a teenager murdered in a gangland execution screamed in fury as two men and a schoolboy were cleared by an Old Bailey jury.
Sharmaarke Hassan, 17, was shot dead with a single bullet to the back of the head on a Camden estate in May 2008. Police believe he was killed by mistake instead of a member of a local gang known as The Money Squad, or TMS.
The schoolboy, then aged 15, was said to have ordered the “hit” after being robbed by the TMS in a car park.
Earlier the court heard that Didi Parkes, 24, was said to have been the gunman while Chen Shire, 22, acted as the lookout.
But there was no forensic or identification evidence to link any of the three to the shooting and the case relied almost entirely on CCTV and mobile phone use. All three were cleared of murder by the jury.
Relatives ran from the court sobbing and wailing at the verdict. Their screams could still be heard echoing around the corridors 15 minutes later.
Judge Martin Stephens QC ordered the defendants to be discharged.
During the trial, the court heard the murder followed a series of tit-for-tat attacks between rival gangs in north London in the summer of 2008. Two days before the shooting, a member of the TMS was shot in Archway. Sharmaarke had himself been stabbed three months earlier.
Prosecutors claimed that one of the rival gangs was known as SM or Silent Movers. The 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was part of the SM group but claimed they were only making rap music.
On May 24, 2008, he was attacked as he walked through TMS territory on the Gilbey's Yard Estate. He was punched by 19-year-old Abdullah Saleh and forced to hand over £10.
The court heard the teenager decided to take revenge by organising a hit on the TMS in their own backyard.
Later that evening, Sharmaarke and two friends entered the estate and seconds later the teenager was shot.
One theory suggested in court was that the intended target was another man who moved away from Sharmaarke shortly before the attack.
Parkes, of Cricklewood, Shire, of Kentish Town, and the youth, now 17, from Barnet, had all denied murder.
Reader views (4)
Judge Martin Stephens QC ordered the defendants to be discharged
Well blow me down with a feather...who would have thunk it ...Stewart Farquar...a judge...well done
Next you`ll be telling me he wasn't a nuisance
loyalty denied is loyalty defamed....I think
- Terry Davis The "Friend never dies" guvnor, london east, 19/06/2010 01:12
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Judge Martin Stephens QC ordered the defendants to be discharged
Well blow me down with a feather...who would have thunk it ...Stewart Farquar...a judge...
Next you`ll be telling me he wasn't a nuisance
- Terry Davis The "Friend never dies" guvnor, london east, 19/06/2010 00:57
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I followed most of this trial because I know the defendants. It was absolutely clear from the evidence presented that the boys on trial did not have anything to do with this murder, so it's very odd that your report says 'The court heard the teenager decided to take revenge by organising a hit on the TMS in their own backyard'. The court heard an allegation to that effect, but no evidence to support it.
All the defendants' friends and families want to see proper justice for the Hassan family, who have been grossly betrayed by the police. The police continuted this absurd vendatta against these boys when it was obvious that they were not the culprits and were of good character. At least the jury were able to see that clearly, as juries often do.
This entire case is a terrible indictment of the mess that gang crimes policing has reached in our capital.
- Prof Diana Jeater, Bath, UK, 17/06/2010 20:45
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Am i reading of some dystopian future dreamt up by lets say Ballard or perhaps some LA crime story by Ed Bunker...Course I`m f****** not...its London here & now (wheres Gong?)...& its 15 yr old kids...please, please Veritas just dont....
- Terry Davis...The " wheres Derren Nesbitt" Guvnor, London East, 17/06/2010 14:43
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