Music video-shoot raiders guilty of double murder

Independent

5 days ago

Five masked raiders have been found guilty of murdering two people and severely injuring a third at a music video-shoot.
Leonardo Reid, 15, and Klevi Shekaj, 23, were fatally stabbed and 28-year-old Abdullah Abdullahi was badly hurt when knifemen descended on the event in Archway, north London, on the night of June 29 2023.
Lorik Lupqi, 21; Jason Furtado, 28; Abel Chunda, 29; Xavier Poponne, 22; and Eden Clark, 31, had denied double murder and attempted murder.
A jury deliberated for 53 hours and five minutes to find them guilty of all the charges at the conclusion of a long-running trial at the Old Bailey which began on March 17.
Members of the victims' families in court wiped away tears as Judge Anuja Dhir KC thanked jurors for their 'care, attention and diligence' and said she would sentence the defendants on a later date.
Previously, prosecutor Jacob Hallam KC had described how a large group had gathered on the Elthorne Estate to record a music video for an artist called Tight Road Baby.
The atmosphere was said to be happy although the volume had irritated some of the local residents and police had attended at about 10.20pm.
The crowd eventually dispersed leaving a number of youths in the area.
Lupqi and Furtado had allegedly called on the attack and enlisted Chunda, Clark and Poponne to help.
Lupqi booked a taxi to pick up the three men from the area of Furtado's home address in Canonbury, north London, telling the firm: 'I'm in a little bit of a rush,' jurors heard.
They had donned masks and were armed as they travelled to the Elthorne Estate where they met Lupqi, the court was told.
Leonardo and his brother had been watching the music video being filmed with friends.
The alarm was raised as a black-clad figure wearing a balaclava was spotted crouching down and moving towards them with a large knife.
The friend shouted the warning 'Man on!' as three more males in black stood up from where they had been hiding behind cars as they edged towards the group, the court was told.
Leonardo's brother ran away but later looped back and saw someone lying motionless on the ground. It was only then that he realised it was his brother, the court heard.
Leonardo had been stabbed in the chest, the wound cutting through his left lung and one of the major blood vessels in his body, causing fatal blood loss.
Mr Shekaj had been stabbed in the back, with the wound cutting through his left lung and deep into his body.
He was driven to Whittington Hospital by members of the public but he died on arrival.
Mr Abdullahi said he had walked past the scene of the recording earlier that night but did not pay much attention.
He described to police being attacked by three of four people wearing face coverings when he returned to the area.
He ran away but he slipped and fell and was set upon by three attackers who had chased him with machetes, jurors heard.
As he tried to get up, he was struck with a machete twice to the right side of his body, to the head and right knee, the court was told.
Mr Hallam said: 'He thought he was going to die. He cannot say how long the attack lasted. He then heard one of the group say, 'leave him'.'
Mr Abdullahi struggled home and collapsed outside his front door.
He had suffered two stab wounds to the right side of the abdomen, a punctured lung, two broken ribs and a fractured diaphragm, as well as stab wounds to his head and knee.
After the 'murderous' attack, the taxi took Chunda, Poponne, Clark and Lupqi away from the scene to Chunda's home address, the court was told.
Jurors were told of lyrics recovered from Islington resident Poppone's phones in which he allegedly 'glorified' the killings and bragged he 'got me a trio'.
The court heard Furtado and Lupqi were wearing electronic tags at the time of the attack.
Four of the defendants were picked up by police on dates between July 2023 and May 2024.
Lupqi, from Archway, cut off his tag and fled to Kosovo.
He was extradited back to the UK last November 12 when he too was arrested, the court heard.
The trial was halted midway through after Lupqi attacked Chunda, of Highgate Hill, spraying the dock with blood which had to be deep cleaned before the court could reassemble.
Following the verdicts, the defendants were remanded into custody to be sentenced on September 25 and 26.
Detective Inspector Jim Barry, from Scotland Yard, said 'These violent men went into this estate with the intention of killing anyone they could, under the false impression that those there were rival gang members.
'This was a senseless, violent act which has shattered the lives of so many, especially Leonardo and Klevi's loved ones.
'This dangerous group of men will now spend a long time behind bars but the effect of what they did will be felt by the victim's shattered families for longer.
'I thank the members of the public who tried to help and save the lives of those injured and have assisted our team with inquiries.'