Mother shot dead through door was unintended victim of gang feud, court told

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A mother was shot dead as she sheltered behind her front door hours after returning from a family holiday, a court has heard.

Lianne Gordon, 42, was the unintended victim of a dispute between two gangs when she was killed in her home in Hackney, east London, jurors were told.

A 17-year-old boy is charged with murdering Ms Gordon and the attempted murders of a youth aged 17 and a 21-year-old man on the same day.

The shooting was alleged to be the culmination of a series of incidents involving the teenage defendant and Elijah Seriki, 21.

It is alleged they threatened Ms Gordon’s son with a large knife as the victim smoked a cigarette on his doorstep on October 1 last year.

The defendants are charged with affray, having a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of a bladed article during an alleged ride out of their territory the following day.

Opening their trial on Thursday, Mark Fenhalls KC said: “Lianne Gordon was sheltering behind her front door at home when (the youth) shot and killed her on 5 December last year.

“She was almost certainly not the target. But her tragic death was the culmination of an escalating dispute between two gangs. That dispute involved both (the youth) and Elijah Seriki.”

The prosecutor said Ms Gordon had lived in Vine Close with her 16-year-old daughter and 21-year-old son Kaymound, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

At the time of the shooting, Mr Gordon had been taking a shower while his sister emerged from her room to find her mother slumped on the floor and was with her when she died, Mr Fenhalls said.

She told police that she had come face-to-face with her mother’s killer and recognised him, even though his face was covered.

She described how she went downstairs when she heard gunshots, thinking they were fireworks at about 6.10pm, the court heard.

She said: “Mum had her hand on door handle and looked like she was trying to close it. I could see gun tip through open door. I saw her drop. I went to her.

“As soon as my mum took her last breath and I was still hearing gunshots and that. I opened the front door and I was screaming at him and he stared me directly in my face.

“He was wearing a balaclava or hood, but I could see enough of his eyes and nose area to recognise him. He did not say anything. Everything happened in slow motion.  We were face on for a few seconds, maybe five, before he ran off. We locked eyes, knew it was him.”

Ms Gordon died at the scene from a single gunshot wound to the head, and the two young victims outside were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds.

Mr Fenhalls told jurors they would be struck by the “obvious devastation” of Ms Gordon’s children and wider family but told them they must put any feelings to one side.

He added: “The Gordon family were not the only target – they were abroad on holiday in Jamaica on 2 December, only returning on morning of the 5 December.”

Mr Fenhalls said the shooting had resulted from a dispute between two Hackney gangs – the Pembury Gang with which the defendants were associated and the A-Road Gang with whom Ms Gordon’s son Kaymound was linked.

Jurors were told the young man had denied membership of the A-Road Gang but said problems began in 2019 when his friend Dotz was murdered.

Over the years each side would disrespect each other in music and on social media and there were revenge attacks, jurors were told.

Mr Gordon had admitted that he punched Seriki in a shop because he thought he was about to draw a knife, jurors heard.

On the incident on October 1 last year, he said the defendants “literally tried to stab us” on his doorstep with a large black blade.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage allegedly showing the defendants riding out of their territory last October 2 and audio of four loud gunshots.

The teenage defendant had travelled back to Hackney even though his family had moved away in June 2022 to try to distance him from the gang, the court heard.

He had a series of previous convictions dating back to when he was 15 years old.

Among them was a conviction for attempted murder relating to an incident at Hackney Central station on March 1 last year, the court was told.

Mr Fenhalls said the defendant had been involved in planning and passing on information, but not personally involved in the violence.

Seriki, from Hackney, also had previous convictions from the age of 15 relating to drugs and weapons, including a Zombie knife, the court was told.

Both defendants deny the charges against them and the Old Bailey trial continues.