A FORMER gang member accused of murder told a jury he told the gunman to put the weapon down seconds before the shooting.
Michael-Paul Hamblett-Sewell, who was giving evidence today at his trial, is accused of telling Callum Campbell to shoot 15-year-old Kadeem Blackwood.
Kadeem died after being shot in the chest at Caxton Park, Sunnyhill, in November 2008. Campbell has already pleaded guilty to murder.
Hamblett-Sewell, who was stood about an arm's length away from Campbell at the time of the murder, said he told Campbell: "Put the gun down. It's a one-on-one fight."
Asked by prosecutor Peter Joyce QC what he had said to Campbell immediately after the shooting, Hamblett-Sewell said: "Nothing."
Mr Joyce suggested that this was because Hamblett-Sewell knew what was going to happen.
"No," said Hamblett-Sewell "he ran off."
"You did nothing to help?" Asked Mr Joyce.
"Of course I tried to help," said Hamblett-Sewell.
"No, after he had been shot. There was this boy lying dying - shot by your mate and you did nothing to help whatsoever."
"I told his friend," said Hamblett-Sewell, who had been a member of the A1 Crew from Allenton at the time.
He told the jury he had been shocked when Campbell shot Kadeem.
Nottingham Crown Court previously heard that Campbell had also belonged to the A1 Crew and Kadeem to a rival gang called Younger Browning Circle Terrorists, based in Sunny Hill.
Members from the two gangs had met at Caxton Park that night to watch a "one-on-one" fight between Kadeem and Campbell. The prosecution claims the dispute had originally been between Kadeem and Hamblett-Sewell but it had been arranged for Campbell to fight Kadeem because he was younger.
Mr Joyce put to Hamblett-Sewell yesterday: "To start with, it was your fight?"
Hamblett-Sewell, who was 19 at the time, said he had not wanted to fight Kadeem because he was too young.
But Mr Joyce said it had also been because Kadeem was "huge and fit" and Hamblett-Sewell would have been thrashed. He said that Campbell was smaller than Hamblett-Sewell at the time and he would also have lost.
"You all knew the A1 needed a weapon to win," said Mr Joyce.
Hamblett-Sewell then asked Mr Joyce why he was the only one, other than Campbell, charged with the murder if all the A1 Crew members had known about the weapon.
Mr Joyce said it was because Hamblett-Sewell had been standing next to Campbell, he had been the eldest and it had been his argument originally.
Hamblett-Sewell said there had been an incident between him and Kadeem a few months before the shooting after the teenager had stared at him and been disrespectful, but after that they had left it there.
Mr Joyce asked: "Is that the reason why he's dead?"
"No," replied Hamblett-Sewell "because I didn't wish him dead."
Asked by his barrister Paul Mann QC: "On November 11 whose argument was it that was going to be sorted out by a confrontation?", Hamblett-Sewell replied: "Kadeem and Callum."
The trial continues.
