Notting Hill Gang Planned to Attack Shepherd's Bush Rivals with Machetes
Possibly goaded by video showing two members' grandmother being harassed
The gang, pictured below, have also been handed three year Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO) preventing them from making drill music glorifying violence.
The gang - Micah and Jordan Bedeau of Colville Square, Yonas Girma from Hanworth, Isaac Marshall of Ladbroke Grove and Rhys Herbert of Lonsdale Road - were all between 17 and 21 and were handed sentences of between 12 months and three and a half years, after pleading guilty at Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday, 16 May after arming themselves with machetes and baseball bats to take on the rival gang last November.
The defendants were stopped by police in Colville Square on 9 November 2017 during a proactive operation to target gang violence in the area. They were in or close to a car and armed with four large machetes and baseball bats, plus masks, balaclavas and gloves.
The court heard the group were about to launch an attack on a rival gang from Shepherd's Bush, possibly in retaliation for an incident involving the Bedeau brothers' grandmother.
A YouTube video had been posted showing a Snapchat broadcast of the grandmother being harassed, abused and threatened by members of the rival gang, leaving her distressed - simply because she was in their postcode area.
The video concluded with: "Horrid1ComeGetYourNan". The court heard that Horrid1 was the street name for Micah Bedeau and the video was designed to goad the Notting Hill gang into action.
Officers saw Herbert get out of the car, a black Nissan Juke, with his face covered and holding something metallic to his right side.
Upon seeing police, he made off and was chased and detained by a PC. A large machete was found hidden down his trouser leg.
Officers searched the Nissan and discovered Girma, Marshall and Jordan Bedeau inside. Police found a large machete-style knife on Marshall and another on the back seat. In the front passenger footwell was a baseball bat with a second found in the boot. Gloves and a balaclava were also found inside the car.
Micah Bedeau was found and detained in the communal hallway of a black of flats in Colville Square. Inside his address officers found a large machete, a small knife and a balaclava.
The five were arrested and subsequently charged.There had been a long history of disputes between the gangs.
Local officers at Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea, who had spent two years gathering evidence of the gang's music and social media activity, presented a raft of evidence to the court to demonstrate how the gang were promoting violence through their lyrics and actions and why CBOs were needed.
One song called 'No Hook' included sounds of gun shots and lyrics such as:
"Clock me an opp (opposing gang member), wind down the window, back (get) out the spinner (revolver firearm) and burst (shoot) him."
"I put bullets in numerous guys like how come the opps (opposing gang members) ain't learning?"
"OT trip (out of town or county line) trying to get some funds (money). We get bread (money) and invest in guns. Dem boy run when we tapped **** Ching (stab) Splash (stab) aim for his lungs."
"Man lurky (creeping around with intent) that’s standard. That’s gang that’s gang. Four men on two peds (mopeds) jump off with my shank (knife) leave an opp (rival gang member) boy splattered (covered in blood)."
The CBOs have a number of conditions relating to music the gang post on social media or perform live. The five defendants must not:
- Incite or encourage violence against any individual, group or gang by claiming responsibility for or threatening to commit acts of violence;
- Make reference to a number of gangs or members of those gangs, either by their actual names or pseudonyms and street names;
- Make reference to the death or injury of those gang members;
- Reference specific post codes.
The gang can meet in public to make music if they have authorisation from police. They must notify police of any new official music videos (i.e. filmed by media companies) they feature in within 24 hours of publication. They must also provide police with a list of their official videos that are currently unpublished so they can be taken out of circulation if they breach the conditions of the CBOs.
The CBOs also stop the defendants meeting in a public place with other gang members aside from certain circumstances, entering particular areas, attending Notting Hill Carnival and having balaclavas or full facial masks in a public place or displaying gang-related 'hand gestures'.
Detective Chief Superintendent Kevin Southworth, head of the Trident and Area Crime Command, said: "There is no doubt the five defendants that day were in the process of setting out to cause some very serious harm to their rivals. They equipped themselves with huge knives and I am sure there would have been some life-changing injuries inflicted if not worse had police not intervened.
"Trident's proactive team is committed to tackling gang and knife crime and the events of 9 November show just how important our work is. The evidence was overwhelming - they were literally caught red-handed - and they had no option but to plead guilty."
June 25, 2018