Pair deny drive-by shooting murder of teenage girl

The teenager was socialising with friends when she was gunned down in Tottenham.

Friday 20 September 2024 06:13 EDT

Tanesha Melbourne-Blake, who was shot dead from a vehicle in Tottenham, north London (Met Police/PA) (PA Media)

Two men have pleaded not guilty to murdering a 17-year-old girl in a drive-by shooting more than six years ago.

Michael Clarke, 34, and Marcus La-Croix, 36, are accused over the death of Tanesha Melbourne-Blake.

The teenager was socialising with friends when she was gunned down from a silver Vauxhall Meriva people carrier in Tottenham, north London.

Ms Melbourne-Blake was killed at about 9.35pm on April 2 2018 after a bullet struck her in the chest.

She died at the scene and the car was found burnt out in Barnet five days later.

On Friday, Clarke, from Luton, and La-Croix, of Hackney, north London, appeared at the Old Bailey via videolink from custody.

They denied Tanesha’s murder and possession of a firearm – a Czechoslovakian-made automatic self-loading pistol – with intent to endanger life.

They were remanded into custody ahead of a four-week trial at the Old Bailey from March 31 next year.