Loxford shooting trial: Teen tells court of horrific moment his brother was shot in the face
Police at the scene of the shooting - Credit: Archant
The brother of an 11-year-old boy who was shot in the face by a stray shotgun pellet has told a jury of the terrifying moment he was caught in the crossfire.
He was speaking as a key witness in the trial of 18-year-old Joshan Addison, who is facing attempted murder charges over the shooting of a 22-year-old in Loxford Park, Ilford, last August.
Mr Addison, of Thornton Avenue, Ilford, is accused of blasting Rhys Bryin twice in the back with a shotgun near a playground in Loxford Lane, full of parents and children.
A pellet also struck an 11-year-old boy in the cheek.
Mr Addison denies two counts of attempted murder, for the injuries to Mr Bryin and the boy, and also denies causing GBH with intent.
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Appearing by video link in Snaresbrook Crown Court today, the 14-year-old brother described the chaotic scene after the shooting.
He said: “Everyone was screaming and running to the other side of the park.”
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After hearing a bang, the witness told the court he assumed it was a car crash, before turning to see a “man dressed all in black with a black balaclava on his face” holding a shotgun.
The teenager told the jury: “He shot twice and there was a man in the middle of the road and he was holding his back and screaming.
“The bangs were really close together.”
The family of the 11-year-old victim – his mother, two sisters and 14-year old brother – had decided to play in the park after purchasing school uniforms nearby, the court heard.
When the shooting started, they were sitting on a bench near the park entrance eating biscuits.
When asked by a police officer how seeing his brother be shot in the face had made him feel, the teenager said he had been terrified.
He told the court: “Everyone in the path was screaming and shouting.
“Only my dad and I can go back to Loxford Park now. My brother, sisters and mother are too scared to go.”
Mr Addison has already pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Jabir Mohammed, 22, of Cobham Road, and Ali Sheikh, 23, of Buttsbury Road, both Ilford, are also on trial, accused of assisting Mr Addison and joint possession of the shotgun.
A teenage Ilford boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces the same charges.
All four deny the charges and the trial continues.
