A 17-year-old gang member named Joshua Alexander has been sentenced to 29 years in prison for the murder of Lianne Gordon, a 42-year-old woman who was shot through the front door of her home in Hackney while her children were inside. Alexander, who was a member of the Pempury gang, had previously been involved in a dispute with rival gangs and had attempted to murder a rival gang member at a train station. He had been barred from entering the area due to his violent behavior. Alexander bragged about the killing in lyrics written in prison and was found to have breached conditions of his bail by returning to the area armed with a firearm.
Lianne Gordon’s family expressed their devastation over her death, with her mother Ella Leatham stating that the night of the attack will stay with her for the rest of her days. She called for Alexander to be hanged and said she hopes he rots in jail for the rest of his days. Gordon’s twin sister, Louise, described her as ‘a force of nature’ and expressed her loss and grief over her sister’s death. She stated that the gun crime had ripped a hole in her family that cannot be repaired.
The judge in the case, David Aubrey KC, described the incident as a pre-planned attack by Alexander to execute members of a rival gang, with Lianne Gordon being an innocent victim caught in the crossfire. He noted that Alexander had shown no remorse for his actions and had been on a mission to carry out the attack that resulted in Gordon’s death. Family members and gallery spectators reacted with cheers and shouts of ‘rot in hell’ as the sentence was passed down by the judge.
The tragic death of Lianne Gordon has left her family and community devastated by the senseless violence. Neighbours who heard the gunshots on the night of the attack were shocked to learn that a woman had been killed in her own home while trying to protect her children. The impact of Gordon’s death on her family has been profound, with her mother and sister expressing their grief and loss in emotional victim impact statements. Gordon was described as a loving and caring person who had a positive impact on those around her.
The case highlights the ongoing issue of gang violence and turf wars in certain areas of London, resulting in tragic consequences for innocent victims like Lianne Gordon. Joshua Alexander’s actions demonstrate the devastating effects of gang-related crime and the importance of addressing the root causes of such violence. The sentence handed down to Alexander serves as a reminder of the consequences of gang activity and the need to prevent further tragedies from occurring in the future. The community has been left mourning the loss of a beloved individual, whose life was tragically cut short by a senseless act of violence.
