Man ‘threatened ex-girlfriend before getting family to help him murder her new boyfriend with knives, baseball bats and an axe'
‘I swear on everything he’s a dead man,’ read one message
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A jealous man bombarded his ex-girlfriend with death threats before teaming up with his family to murder her new boyfriend, a court has heard.
Daniel Grogan, 20, sent a flurry of texts to Gemma Hodder saying he would kill 18 year-old Jay Sewell after the pair started seeing each other, jurors at the Old Bailey were told.
He was allegedly part of a nine-strong group which attacked Mr Sewell and left him fatally stabbed in Lee, southeast London, on 11 December last year.
Mr Grogan, along with parents Robert, 57, and Ann, 54, siblings Peter, 22, and Francesca, 29, cousin Liam Hickey, 19, a 16-year-old boy who cannot be named, Francesca’s boyfriend Jamie Bennett, 31 and another man, Charlie Dudley, 25, are all accused of murder.
Jurors heard Daniel Grogan sent Ms Hodder a flurry of messages in the days leading up to the killing, allegedly warning: “I swear on everything he’s a dead man Gemma”.
Between 12.37pm and 8.04pm on 9 December Mr Grogan sent 45 unanswered texts to Ms Hodder’s phone, the court heard.
These were said to include: “I’ll put a bullet straight through his head on my nieces life that’s a promise’ and ‘I’m gonna smash his house up and set it on fire and I’m gonna stab the s**t out him, I promise you on my niece’s life.”
The court heard Ms Hodder then sent the reply: “He’s not scared.”
Asked in court if that was what she thought at the time, Ms Hodder replied: “Yes.”
Jurors also heard Mr Grogan threatened Ms Hodder’s family, claiming: ‘’I’ll send 30 n****s through your front door you nerd."
Ms Hodder frowned and shook her head as the messages were read out in court.
Jurors were told that the day before the killing, at 6.19am, Mr Grogan messaged Ms Hodder’s phone, saying: “I’m gonna stamp all over you you’re a f****** little slag man you wrong un.”
Half an hour later he allegedly sent her another message saying: “Watch when someone gets deaded off over this.”
Nine seconds later, he is said to have added: “And it will be Jay I promise you.”
On the day of the killing, Ms Hodder’s mother had warned her to stay away from Mr Grogan, the court heard.
“I seriously don’t want you to have any contact with him at all. He is too unpredictable x,” jurors were told she wrote.
Minutes later Mr Grogan is said to have messaged Ms Hodder saying: “He will die or eat through a straw for 6 months.”
Ms Hodder allegedly responded saying: “You’re the least bait kid in the world all they gotta do is look at jays phone and know who’s behind it.”
Jurors heard the attackers were armed with knives, baseball bats and a four-foot long fireman’s axe.
The Grogans, of Sibthorpe Road, Bennett, of the same address, Hickey, of Crown Wood Way, Eltham, the 16-year-old, from Greenwich and Mr Dudley of no fixed address, all deny murder.
The trial continues.