Three jailed for 'gang feud' murder of young footballer in north London
Taylor Cox, 19, was shot in the head in Hornsey in June 2021
Three men have been jailed for life for the murder of a young footballer who was fatally shot in the head during a long-standing gang feud.
Taylor Cox, 19, died in hospital after suffering an unsurvivable injury when he was shot in an alleyway in Hornsey, north London, on June 8 2021.
The killing happened amid a violent feud between rival street gangs, the Old Bailey was told.
Mr Cox, who had been stabbed in the past, was a member of the A Team gang associated with the N19 London postcode, the court was told.
The three killers were linked to a rival NOL gang which was involved with drug dealing.
Following a retrial at the Old Bailey, Robel Michael, 22, of Islington, Jaden McGibbon, 22, of Crouch End, and Sichem Mangituka-Mpelo, 22, from Holloway, were found guilty of his murder.
Sichem Mangituka-Mpelo,
Jailing the men for life on Friday, Judge Rebecca Trowler KC set a minimum term of 27 years for Michael and 26 years for McGibbon and Mangituka-Mpelo.
McGibbon's then-girlfriend Dunila Idrissi Oukili, 21, from Camden, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and jailed for two years.
She had rented a flat for McGibbon to lay low in, bought a new telephone Sim card and arranged transport and a change of hairstyle for him.
Two misfired cartridges and cases had also been recovered from her handbag four days after the incident.
Statement from family
Members of Mr Cox's family, who sat through two trials, returned to the Old Bailey to see the defendants sent down.
A statement from Kerri Cox described her son as a "kind, happy and loving child" who was close to his two siblings.
She said he had "dreamt of becoming a footballer", having played for Finchley Revolution Football Club before being signed to Borehamwood Football Club at the age of 16.
At the time of his death, he was studying to be a mechanic at college in St Albans, she said.
Ms Cox said: "Taylor was always very thoughtful and put others before himself. If he had spare pocket money he would share it with his little sister.
"On June 8, Taylor was playing computer games at home. Little did we know when he left home he would never come back.
"The loss of a child in these circumstances is the hardest thing - there are no words to describe the pain and loss I feel every day.
"His life was taken too soon for no reason."
She added: "We miss him dearly. It's broken all our hearts."
Statement from Met Police's Specialist Crime Command
Detective Chief Inspector Linda Bradley, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: "This was a targeted attack on a young man who should have had the rest of his life ahead of him.
"It saddens me to see so many young lives cut short by violence on the streets of our capital.
"The loss of freedom the defendants are about to face, serve as a warning to any others who think that conflict of any kind can be resolved with weapons and violence.
"My thoughts are with Taylor's family. While nothing can bring him back, I hope that today's sentencing brings them a degree of comfort."