Drive-by murder accused was not at scene, jury told

"Michelle Sadio, 44, died at the scene and two others were injured when shots were fired from a passing Kia as a crowd of mourners stood outside the River of Life Pentecostal Church following a wake in December 2024. On Monday, Tahjin Sommersall,19, told the court he had never even seen the car used in the shooting and had been in Wembley when the attack happened."

"Sommersall accepted that he had been a drug dealer at the time, selling 'weed, crack and heroin'. He would wear a hi-vis jacket, he said, to look like a food delivery driver and so avoid being stopped by the police. Asked by his defence counsel Giles Cocking KC if he had links to a north London gang called "A9," he admitted he knew people who were members as he'd grown up with them, but denied being a member himself."

"He was asked by the KC about his appearance in two drill videos that were posted on YouTube. "I appeared in two music videos. They invited me to the music video; they needed more numbers... I was excited...you know when you see them on YouTube, girls and that. Exciting." But he denied appearing alongside youths wearing blue bandanas, which the jury heard was a colour associated with "A9"."

Michelle Sadio, 44, died and two others were injured after shots were fired from a passing Kia as mourners stood outside the River of Life Pentecostal Church following a wake in December 2024. Four men—Tahjin Sommersall, 19; Perry Allen-Thomas, 27; Shaquille Sutherland, 26; and Amir Salem, 19—deny murder and two counts of attempted murder. Sommersall denies involvement, asserting he was in Wembley and had not seen the car used in the shooting. He admits selling 'weed, crack and heroin', wearing a hi-vis jacket to appear as a delivery driver, a previous shotgun-possession conviction from collecting a paid package, knowing but not belonging to A9, and appearing in two drill videos while denying association with youths wearing blue bandanas.

Read at www.bbc.com