Two assassins who shot ‘shy, quiet and entirely innocent’ autistic victim, 27, in the face on his own doorstep in case of mistaken identity when they should have gone to the house next door are jailed for at least 29 years
- Chad Gordon, 27, was shot on doorstep in Finsbury Park, north London, last year
- Cameron Robinson and Mason Sani-Semedo killed him due to mistaken identity
- Pair found guilty of murder and possession of a gun with intent to endanger life
- Robinson, 20, sentenced to a minimum term in prison of 28 years and three days
- Sani-Semedo, 19, was sentenced to 27 years and 363 days behind bars
Chad Gordon, 27, (pictured) was killed when he opened his front door in north London
Two men have been sentenced to 29 years each in jail for murdering an autistic man who was shot dead on his doorstep in a case of mistaken identity.
Chad Gordon, 27, was blasted in the face when he opened his door to the killers who had travelled to his home in Finsbury Park, north London, on a stolen moped intent on revenge.
The shooting, during the first coronavirus lockdown in May last year, was said to have been in retribution for the death of Jemal Ebrahim who had been stabbed five days before.
But Cameron Robinson and Mason Sani-Semedo went to the wrong address and shot Chad instead.
Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Robinson, 20, and Sani-Semedo, 19, were found guilty of murder and possession of a gun with intent to endanger life.
Today, Robinson was sentenced to a minimum term in prison of 28 years and three days with Sani-Semedo sentenced to 27 years and 363 days.
They were each given six years concurrent sentence for the firearms offence.
In a moving statement to the court, Chad’s mother Ann Marie Wilson, said her ‘world shattered’ when she learnt of Chad’s death.
She said: ‘My heart broke into tiny pieces and cannot be mended. Chad was my world, my everything, but most of all my first born and he was no more. Our lives have been ruined.’
Chad’s father, Narson Gordon, said: ‘Not just because Chad was my only son, he was a unique individual with absolutely no malice whatsoever.
‘Anyone who knew or met Chad would instantly recognise “a gentle giant” with humility to match. The hurt and anguish caused by his evil murder is immeasurable.
‘The void left is deeply felt by aunts, sisters, nephews, nieces, and cousins, especially by his 95-year-old grandmother who is still inconsolable.’
‘It is heart wrenchingly sad that Chad was not allowed to flourish and live beyond the age of 27. I wish this for no parent.’
Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Cameron Robinson, 20, (left) and Mason Sani-Semedo, 19, (right) were found guilty of murder and possession of a gun with intent to endanger life
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, sentencing, described Chad as an ‘ordinary, dignified, decent man’ who was ‘entirely innocent’.
She told the court both defendants played an equal part in the ‘considered, high-stakes attempt at a swift, polished assassination,’ which she said contributed to ‘the senseless cycle of death and destruction on the streets of London’.
The judge said: ‘The hurt caused by his evil murder is immeasurable.’
Chad’s aunt told the court: ‘I feel I’m existing on autopilot since Chad’s murder.
‘My son is now filled with anxiety, he is easily startled and I cannot describe his reaction and distress towards someone wearing a helmet on a moped.
‘The murder of Chad has left his sister devastated.
‘She is traumatised every night as she will never receive the daily call from him, he would call her every day to tell her he loved her.’
During the trial, prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC had said Chad, who had autism, was the ‘last person anyone would want to kill’.
He was described as a shy and quiet ‘gentle giant’ who was well-liked and polite.
At around 8.20pm on the evening of May 18, 2020, Chad went to answer a knock at the door at the address he shared with his grandmother and aunt.
He was immediately confronted by Sani-Semedo and Robinson who had arrived at the address on a moped.
Sani-Semedo produced a firearm and shot Chad in the face causing ‘catastrophic’ injuries, the court heard.
The killers had travelled to Chad’s home in Finsbury Park on a stolen moped (pictured) intent on revenge in a case of mistaken identity
London Fire Brigade received reports of a fire in the Lea Valley area around 30 minutes after the fatal shot was fired where they found the moped as well as clothing that had been set alight on a bonfire
Chad’s family and friends were alerted to the gunfire as he collapsed on the ground, jurors heard.
The victim’s aunt shouted at the killers as they ran back to the moped, who, without breaking stride, pointed the gun at her and told her to shut up.
The woman then threw herself to the ground to cover a young child, the court heard.
The killers pointed the firearm towards a mother and child who were walking in the street in order to ‘make good’ on their escape as they fled the address.
Mr Glasgow said it was a ‘carefully planned’ attack, apart from one essential aspect – the address.
Police and London Ambulance Service rushed to the scene of the shooting, but despite their efforts Chad was pronounced dead at 9.07pm.
London Fire Brigade received reports of a fire in the Lea Valley area around 30 minutes after the fatal shot was fired.
They found the moped connected to the murder as well as clothing that had been set alight on a bonfire.
Sani-Semedo and Robinson were arrested following the analysis by detectives of CCTV footage linking them to the murder, which also revealed the pair to have coordinated the killing together.
Clive Spencer, 24, Talye Olabisi, 24, and Javarn Carter-Fraser, 23, were earlier cleared by a jury of Chad’s murder.
Detectives discovered that there had been ongoing tensions between two gangs in the area in the days leading up to Chad’s murder.
It was also confirmed that a male, thought to be the intended target for the shooting, lived next door to Chad.
Officers believe the killing was a revenge attack for the murder of Jamal Ebrahim in Tottenham on May 13, 2020.
Following Chad’s death, detective inspector Laura Nelson from Specialist Crime, who led the murder investigation, said Chad’s murder was ‘utterly senseless’ and his death has left his ‘local community devastated.’
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