A teenage killer murdered an innocent man because he was scared of being ‘derecruited’ by a gang of street thugs, the Old Bailey heard.
Theo Momodu, 18, received a text message from an associate berating him for not notching up ‘names on his blade’ before he allegedly stabbed 29-year-old Joshua White through the heart.
Mr White, 29, was attacked by a gang of masked men armed with swords and knives on Frampton Park Road, Hackney, east London, on 26 April 2019
Jurors heard how a six-year-old girl, who was waiting for her dad outside a food store, was sent ‘flying’ as a gang of cold-blooded murderers chased after Mr White.
Jurors were told David Kerrigan and Taylar Isaac, both 20, deny murdering Mr White with Momodu.
They each deny a further charge of attempting to murder another man, Rikkardo Butler.
Harley McGivern, 20, denies perverting the cause of justice. He is said to have removed clothes worn by the attackers.
Jonathan Higgs, prosecuting said:
‘Sometime after 2pm on Friday, 26th of April 2019, Keith McDaid decided to walk to his local shop. He took his six-year-old daughter with him.
‘They walked along Brenthouse Road, which is only a minute or two from their house, in Hackney.
‘His daughter was on roller skates. As they walked along the road, he noticed a white car pulling up.
‘Several males got out. The males were wearing masks and carrying what looked to him like swords.
‘They confronted two other males who were standing on the pavement. They were obviously looking for someone.
‘The masked men then got back in the car, which drove off.
‘Although he was shocked by what he had seen, he thought it had finished, and so he carried on walking to the shop which was very close by, in Frampton Park Road.’
‘The shop is called Frampton Foods. His daughter stayed outside, whilst he went inside to do his shopping.
‘But the white car had not left the area. Shortly afterwards, it drove back, the wrong way down the one-way street, and stopped next to a grey Mercedes that was parked there.
‘The people inside the white car spoke to the occupants of the grey
Mercedes; something along the lines of “why you shook?”.
‘They pointed the swords and knives at them. Unsurprisingly, the Mercedes drove off, at speed.
‘The white car turned round, and gave chase.
‘The next thing that happened was graphically captured on the CCTV system owned by the shop itself. The same masked men that he had seen in Brenthouse Road were now chasing a single man, Joshua White.
‘They were indeed armed with swords and knives.
‘They chased Joshua White towards Frampton Foods, knocking the six-year-old girl flying as they did so, or in fact it may have been Mr White.
‘
As Joshua White tried to get into the shop he was repeatedly stabbed.
‘The attackers, though, did not simply escape the scene. They had not yet finished for the afternoon.
‘A few minutes later, a few minutes drive away, their car pulled up in a side road.
‘They had just driven past Rikkardo Butler, who was walking along Wilton Way with his partner.
‘She was pushing their nine-month-old daughter in a pram. The men in the car were obviously having some form of discussion.
‘They then turned round, and followed him.
‘They pulled up behind him, and got out. They were still masked, and they were still armed. As they drove up behind him, they got out.
‘One of them approached him and asked something along the lines of “Are you Rikkardo from Shakespeare?”
‘Then he too was attacked, but unlike Joshua White he was not trapped trying to get in a doorway, and so luckily only received four or five relatively superficial stab wounds.
‘The men then ran off back to the car, which sped off for a second time.’
Jurors heard before the attack Momodu received a message on his phone from an unnamed associate telling him:
‘Mish show the rest of the ygs this if they don’t you man Izz ain’t giving me the reports I wanna hear about u man on the streets and even mish mash ain’t happycuz, if u lot don’t get sumn down by next week forget being stokey on god when I was your age I had 10 names on my blade you lot ain’t hurt a single soul and your screaming my gang bruv mums don’t make me have to come out jailand punch u man up like what the manor olders do u ain’t even trying to ride out this ain’t gona work because if Skid new you young gs he would not have let all romez and twin still be stokey you, guys would have been gone so this is your last warning I’m gonna foud tj and Izz next-week if I don’t hear Suttin take 16 out of your name your derecruited.’
Mr Higgs added:
While I expect that the language used will not be completely familiar to you, you can readily enough understand the general meaning. Mish (mish mash) is apparently a name used for Theo Momodu.
‘He is being told by someone that he must get the new young gs to get someone down or they will be all be de-recruited.’
Momodu, of Clapton, is charged with murder, attempted murder and a lesser charge of wounding with intent.
Kerrigan, also of Clapton, and Isaac of Homerton, deny murder, attempted murder, and the alternative of wounding with intent.
McGivern, of Hackney, denies perverting the cause of justice.
The trial continues.
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