Boy shot dead 'for disrespecting gang leader's mother'

A gangland "general" ordered the shooting of a 15-year-old rival who disrespected his mother, a court heard today.

Kadeem Blackwood was shot through the chest after he "dissed" the mother of Michael Hamblett-Sewell, Nottingham Crown Court was told.

Hamblett-Sewell ordered Callum Campbell, a "lieutenant" in the A1 Crew, to shoot Kadeem at the Caxton Street recreation ground in Derby in November last year.

Hamblett-Sewell, 20, of Marlborough Road, Allenton, Derby, denies murder.

Campbell, of Osmarston Park Drive, Allenton, Derby, admitted murdering Kadeem at an earlier hearing.

Peter Joyce QC told the jury: "This man (Hamblett-Sewell) is charged with the murder of a boy called Kadeem Blackwood, who was pronounced dead at 10.10pm on the evening of 11 November, 2008.

"He was but 15 years old. He had been shot and the gun used to kill him was a sawn-off shotgun. That is the bold and brutal interpretation of what this case is concerned with.

"In brief terms, a fight had been arranged for the day before, 10 November, and that was to take place that evening.

"The grudge was between this defendant and Kadeem Blackwood, the dead boy.

"Not only were they members of rival gangs but there will be evidence to suggest that the dead boy, in common parlance, had dissed or shown disrespect to Hamblett-Sewell's mother and for that there was to be a fight.

"He was 19 at the time and the dead boy was 15.

"For all his youth Kadeem was not all bad but he certainly wasn't an angel."

The jury of seven women and five men had heard that, two days before Kadeem was shot dead, he was overheard by his mother talking on the phone in his bedroom.

During the conversation, the teenager said: "It's going to be sorted, there's going to be a fight and it's going to be done.

"You bring your mans and I'll bring my mans."

But the fight on 10 November never happened after Hamblett-Sewell, who was known in his gang as MP, failed to show up.

The fight was rearranged for the following evening, with Hamblett-Sewell telling Kadeem, known by his gang name of Snipes, that he was to fight his lieutenant, Callum Campbell.

Campbell and Hamblett-Sewell arrived at the park with a posse from their gang, who were dressed in the A1 Crew's "team colours" of purple.

There was also a group of teenagers from Kadeem's gang, the Young Browning Circle Terrorists, who wore black.

At about 9pm, Kadeem approached Hamblett-Sewell and Campbell, who had a sawn-off shotgun pointing at the ground, and asked them what the gun was for, the jury heard.

Campbell then pointed the gun at Kadeem, who pulled out a kitchen knife and lunged forwards, but was stopped in his tracks when he was shot through the chest.

Mr Joyce said: "Kadeem seemed all right at first. He was rubbing his chest and checking to see if he had been shot.

"People started running in different directions and, by this stage, Kadeem had collapsed and Callum Campbell had run off.

"Kadeem's eyes were open, but it was as though he wasn't there. He didn't move and he didn't speak.

"It's the prosecution case that the fight with Kadeem was set up by this young man (Hamblett-Sewell) together with Callum Campbell.

"Although the shot that killed Kadeem was fired by Callum Campbell, Hamblett-Sewell ordered it and it was done."

Members of each gang would deck themselves out in clothes to signify which group they were part of, whether it be their shoelaces, bandannas or tracksuit tops.

The court heard that, after the shooting, Hamblett-Sewell returned home and was confronted by his mother, a youth worker, who heard there had been a shooting.

Mr Joyce said: "She challenged her son, saying that she had had phone calls saying he had shot someone.

"She asked him 'Why didn't you answer my phone calls?'.

"He told her he didn't do it and, in terms of pulling the trigger, he was right.

"But she persisted and he admitted that he was there, but didn't do it, and he wouldn't give her any more details.

"He waited for the police to arrive just before 7.30am the next morning and he was taken to a police station."