Teenage gunman named and sentenced

A fifteen-year-old Peckham boy who shot a man who 'humiliated' him has been jailed for an indefinite period.

Jesse Williams was sentenced at the Old Bailey last Friday and was given an indefinite public protection order, which means he must serve six years before being considered for parole.

Williams, who was fourteen at the time of the incident, shot Jason Major, 26, on Clifton Way, after spotting him driving along the road.

The car was stopped, and after the gun initially jammed Major was shot in the shoulder as the vehicle was driven away.

DS Anna Carney of Operation Trident said: "The conviction was obtained in difficult circumstances as the safety of the victim and witnesses was a paramount concern. Although the offender is young in years, he planned and executed this shooting in a calm and ruthless manner with no thought for the victim or the fear he created in the community".

Major and Williams first encountered each other months earlier when a gang including Williams robbed Major of a mobile phone. He then followed the gang back to a house, and confronted them in front of their parents.

In court the prosecution stated that the humiliation of being forced to hand back the property meant Williams had lost respect in front of his peers.

The shooting occurred in October 2007, after a second chance encounter between the two.

A second teenager, aged seventeen, was found not guilty of a charge of attempted murder in March this year. He cannot be named for legal reasons.

Reporting restrictions on naming Williams were lifted by the court, despite his age.