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Masked gang who mowed down and killed taekwondo star, 18, jailed for 71 years

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Amrou Greenidge
Amrou Greenidge was described as ‘intelligent, witty and caring’ (Picture: Metropolitan Police)

The five drug dealing killers of a young athlete who represented Great Britain have been jailed over his brutal killing.

The mother of Amrou Greenidge has called for his death not to be ‘in vain’ as the young quintet were handed prison sentences totalling more than 70 years after being convicted of manslaughter.

Bright taekwondo star Amrou, 18, was targeted by the masked group, who saw him as competition to their business on an estate in south London.

Kai McDonald, 18, ploughed into him in a stolen Mini on August 18, 2019, knocking Amrou off his bicycle, before four others chased him on foot with weapons, including large knives.

Amrou suffered catastrophic injuries in the attack in Fulham, and died two days later.

The car was torched, damaging several cars parked nearby in the process.

On Monday, the Old Bailey heard Amrou’s parents describe the devastating loss of their ‘intelligent, witty and caring son’.

Amrou Greenidge in taekwondo Great Britain outfit.
Amrou had represented Great Britain at taekwondo

His mother Mahjouba Greenidge said she ‘begged and pleaded’ with authorities to save her son, after he was befriended by a ‘dangerous crowd’.

Mrs Greenidge said: ‘I worry that our social class meant despite our hard work we could not protect our son, we could not live in a place of our choosing but rather relied on the state.

‘Social housing puts a roof on people’s heads but can also mean that our children mix with the wrong – if not dangerous – crowds and that’s exactly what’s happened to our family.

‘Despite Amrou’s best efforts in concentrating on his schooling and sport practice, the negative influences in the local area were becoming more and more aware of his presence.’

She continued: ‘They befriended him and as soon as we realised the risk we went to the authorities and raised the alarm.

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‘We pleaded and begged repeatedly for them to save him, to protect him. We asked for alternative accommodation away from the dangerous crowd.’

Mrs Greenidge said the family felt there was a ‘lesson to be learned’ from his death, adding: ‘We would like Amrou’s death to bring change and for him not to have died in vain.’

Amrou’s father, Edward, said: ‘I constantly feel like I want to die. I feel this because if I die I will get to see Amrou again.

‘My heart has been ripped out. I’m nothing but an empty shell of the man I was.’

His five killers, from west London, were handed sentences of up to 20 years.

Five men jailed for manslaughter in Fulham Picture: MET Police METROGRAB A group of friends who deliberately drove into a cyclist before assaulting him in west London have been jailed. Amrou Greenidge, 18, was struck by a car while cycling through Fulham on 18 August 2019. He was then attacked by the group, who were armed with weapons. On Monday, 23 August at the Old Bailey the following people were sentenced as follows: Kai McDonald, 18 (01.11.2002) of Roding Court, Hammersmith and Fulham, was found guilty of manslaughter ? he was jailed for nine years and nine months. Anas Osman, 19 (20.03.2002) of Bourbon Lane, W12, was found guilty of manslaughter ? he was jailed for 11 years and nine months. Darrel Mortimer, 21 (20.11.99) of Blythe Road, W14, was found guilty of manslaughter ? he was jailed for 17 years. Connor Gwynn-Bliss, 21 (28.05.00) of Weltje Road, W6, was found guilty of manslaughter, arson and perverting the course of justice ? he was jailed for 20 years. Levar Jackson-Scott, 18 (07.03.2003) of Burgundy Place, Hammersmith and Fulham, was found guilty of manslaughter ? he was jailed for 12 years and six months. All five were found guilty of manslaughter following a seven-week trial at the Old Bailey which concluded on Friday, 9 July. Police were called at approximately 14:40hrs on 18 August 2019 to Broomhouse Lane, SW6, where a man was found with serious head injuries. He was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service in a critical condition. He died from his injuries two days later. He was subsequently named as Amrou Greenidge from Fulham. Detectives from the Specialist Crime Command launched an investigation and it was established that Amrou had been chased by a group of people who were wearing dark clothing and had their faces covered. He was then deliberately struck by a Mini Countryman, knocking him from his bicycle, before being assaulted by the suspects. The car, which had been stolen six days earlier, left the scene with five people inside. It was later discovered burnt out nearby on Dymock Street. Three other parked cars on the road were damaged in the fire. As part of their investigation, officers collected and viewed a large amount of CCTV from the scene of the attack, as well as where the Mini was found abandoned. Five people were captured getting out of the car. Having identified those who were in the car, detectives carried out further enquiries to track them down. Levar Jackson-Scott was arrested the following day on 19 August 2019. Bliss was arrested on the same day in a hospital where he was being treated for burns believed to have been caused by the fire. Anas Osman was arrested later that evening by officers from Bedfordshire Police at Luton Airport. Darrel Mortimer was arrested in Northamptonshire on 22 August 2019. Kai McDonald, who was identified as the driver, was arrested on suspicion of murder on 26 August 2019. They were all charged with various offences. Detective Chief Inspector Chris Wood, who led the investigation, said: ?Amrou was deliberately targeted by the defendants, who laid in wait for him with the sole aim of inflicting serious injury.
Kai McDonald drove the car into Amrou and was jailed for nine years and nine month (Picture: Metropolitan Police)

McDonald, who admitted manslaughter, was jailed for nine years and nine months.

Connor Gwynn-Bliss, 21, who was on licence and had 25 previous convictions for 63 offences, was locked up for 20 years for manslaughter, arson and perverting the course of justice.

Darrel Mortimer, 21, who had previous convictions for battery and class A drugs, was sentenced to 17 years.

Levar Jackson-Scott, 18, was sent to prison for 12 years and six months.

Judge Richard Marks QC said Jackson-Scott had previously been identified as a modern slavery victim but his role in the killing was ‘entirely voluntary’.

Anas Osman, 19, who was subject to a referral order for an assault at the time, was handed a 11 year and nine month sentence.

Murder charges had previously been brought in the case – but the convictions were only for manslaughter.

The court heard how Amrou had picked up 10 GCSEs, including an A* in physical education.

He had been doing taekwondo from age seven to 17 and had represented Britain at international competitions including the cadet world championships in 2015.

He also excelled in football and gymnastics, the court was told.

Judge Richard Marks QC branded the victim impact statements as ‘moving and heart-rending’ as any he had heard.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Wood, of Scotland Yard, said: ‘Amrou was deliberately targeted by the defendants, who laid in wait for him with the sole aim of inflicting serious injury.

‘A considerable degree of planning went into this offence. The defendants attempted to conceal their identities with balaclavas and hoods before and during the attack.

‘They used a stolen car both as a weapon and to flee the scene and a number of them changed their clothing shortly afterwards to avoid detection.

‘This was a cowardly attack with Amrou caught unaware and heavily outnumbered.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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