The horrifying ‘assassination’ of a 15-year-old boy at a pre-Notting Hill Carnival music event is a stark illustration of the divisions that continue to blight the West London neighbourhood of Ladbroke Grove.
Rene Graham was surrounded by parents and children when he was gunned down at Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park – also known as ‘Teletubbies Park’ – in the north of Kensington and Chelsea at 7.20pm on Sunday.
The borough has the distinction of being both Britain’s richest and one of the most unequal, with multi-million pound houses standing cheek by jowl with areas blighted by crime.
Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park is in the W10 postcode, close to the border with W9. Locals claim there have been raised ‘tensions’ between gangs of youths in the two areas, which are separated by a footbridge running over a canal.
The shooting took place outside Park Lime, a regular event that takes place before the Notting Hill Carnival. While the carnival remains a popular event attracting millions, police warn it can serve as a catalyst for violence as rival gangs come together in one cramped area.
Residential properties are Boarded up in Notting Hill, West London ahead of last year’s Notting Hill Carnival
On Sunday, a 15-year-old boy was shot dead during a pre-Notting Hill Carnival Music event
Contrasts: The Mozart Estate has a reputation for gang crime and is seen on the right next to new build flats on the left
Europe’s largest street party, which takes place next months, begun in 1966 as a celebration of Caribbean culture and music.
But in recent years it has been marred by outbreaks of violence, with 2023 seeing 10 stabbings and more than 300 arrests, prompting Rick Prior, vice chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, to call the level of violence as ‘unsustainable’.
Roy Ramm, former commander of specialist operations at the Met, previously said gangs ‘seem to reject the spirit of carnival’ and ‘take the opportunity to settle scores’ while former Met PC Ken Marsh called it a ‘perfect storm’ for violence.
Sunday’s Park Lime event was promoted by the Caribbean Music Association on its Facebook page, which urged ‘carnival groupies’ to attend – adding: ‘Don’t miss out on the family fun. Good weather, good food, good vibes.’
Witnesses described crowds of parents and children scattering as bullets were fired into the area before Rene Graham, a local teenager, was tragically shot dead.
Four men have been arrested on suspicion of murder, with two of those in custody aged 21 and the others aged 20 and 25. They were taken into custody after armed police raided buildings on the Kensal New Town Estate, it is understood.
Locals claim that two gangs operating near the area have been involved in a long running ‘war’ with each other – the Ladbroke Grove Boys (LGB), who are based on the Kensal New Town Estate, and the Harrow Road Boys (HRB) from the Mozart Estate.
Beverley Campbell who was at the Park Lime event told MailOnline: ‘Everybody around here knows about the war between the LGB and HRB. This is quite a rough area and gang members attacking each other is not a new thing.’
She revealed that soon after the shooting, Rene’s distraught mother arrived at the scene but was not allowed to see his body as police had sealed off the area. She was then joined by his father and other relatives.
Sunday’s took place outside Park Lime, an annual event before the Notting Hill Carnival that is held in Hornimans Pleasance Park
The park lies in the W10 postcode area and is close to the border with W9. Locals say both areas contain warring gangs and are separated by a footbridge running over a canal (pictured)
Another photo of the bridge, which goes over the Grand Union Canal
The shooting took place in Hazlewood Crescent, close to the boundary between the W10 and W9 postcodes
Kelvin, 38, a local resident of the Kensal New Town Estate told MailOnline: ‘It may sound a bit crazy to outsiders, but this rivalry is not a new thing. It’s been going on for years and all of us refer to each other as being from ‘over the water.’
‘We don’t like them, and they don’t like us. But the gangs have taken it to another level and things have got a lot worse. They’re constantly attacking each other and most of these don’t even get reported to the police. If a gang member or any young person is found in the wrong territory, then it always causes problems.’
Olaseni Soyinka, 37, another local resident who was also at the Park Lime event added: ‘There are constant problems around here, our youngsters are out of control. When they’re not fighting each other, they’re causing a lot of anti-social nuisance by robbing local shops, letting off fireworks and damaging our cars. We don’t bother calling the police because they don’t do anything.’
The Mozart Estate was completed in 1974 and is made up of 737 houses and flats in 25 medium-rise blocks. Since then, it has acquired a reputation as one of the capital’s ‘sink estates’.
The Kensal New Town estate was completed in the 1970s and is made up of around 700 flats and homes that are also affected by a variety of social issues.
The average house in Ladbroke Grove costs more than £2.7million and the average flat over £1million.
Yet council estates dot the area too, and in the 2021 census Kensington and Chelsea overall saw England’s highest rise in the proportion of households in the social rented sector, up to 27.6% from 24.5% in 2011.
Concerns have been raised about violence at the Notting Hill Carnival. Pictured is a young man waving a machete at the event last year
Kensington and Chelsea has the biggest disposable income gap between neighbourhoods in the country, according to the Office of National Statistics, ranging from £63,900 in wealthy Hans Town to £22,600 in Golborne and Swinbrook – where Rene Graham was shot on Sunday.
Crime levels vary dramatically as well, with Met Police data analysed by the Telegraph showing Golborne ranked 19th across London for knife crime with a rate of 3.3 crimes per 1,000 people.
Abingdon, a few miles down the road, has a sixth of that rate, 0.5, and ranks 580th overall.
In 2020, seven thugs from the Ladbroke Grove Boys (LGB) and the Harrow Road Boys (HRB) were jailed for taking part in a knife and machete fight in front of terrified shoppers.
‘Drill’ rappers Jordan Bedeau, 18, Rhys Herbert, 19, and a 17-year-old associate who were members of the LGB were jailed for between two and three years. Four members of the HRB were also jailed for between two and three years.
During the fight two female members of the public were violently barged by a knife wielding attacker, with one gang member stabbed in the stomach and another left with a life changing facial scar.
In 2018, five members of the LGB were sentenced after being caught with machetes and baseball bats. Police also applied for a court order to stop the group making drill music.
Officers caught the gang ‘red-handed’ on 9 November 2017 after a two-year anti-gang operation. The members of the LGB were thought to have been about to attack rivals from the 12 Worlds gang from Shepherds Bush and the HRB.
A total of 21 teenagers were killed in London last year, with 18 stabbed, two were shot and one killed after his moped was struck by a car.
In 2020, a brutal fight took place in Ladbroke Grove between gang rivals. ‘Drill’ rappers Jordan Bedeau, 18, (front) Rhys Herbert, 19, (behind) were jailed for between two and three years
There were some 14,500 knife crimes recorded in the city overall — almost 40 a day — up from nearly 11,500 in the previous year.
Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, who is in charge of policing for Kensington and Chelsea, said: ‘A young boy has tragically lost his life and our thoughts remain with his family and friends at this devastating time. We will continue to provide them with specialist support.
‘I understand that the public, especially those who live and work in the area, will be shocked and concerned by this incident. All of us at the Met share that concern and we are using all of the resources at our disposal to identify those involved.
‘This investigation is at an early stage and we are keeping an open mind as to the motive. It will take us some time to establish the facts and this will be our priority in the coming days.
‘We are keen to speak to other witnesses who were in the area at the time of the shooting, There was an event taking place and it’s possible people may have been taking photos or filming. Please check to see if you have captured anything that may help detectives.
‘Residents can expect to see a significant police presence in this area. Officers are there to provide reassurance and support – please speak to them if you have concerns.
‘Tragic incidents like this remind us why it is so important that we continue our unrelenting focus on suppressing violence and gun crime, and catching the offenders who endanger our communities.’
Rene Graham, aged 15, was gunned down in Ladbroke Grove on Sunday evening in what has been described as an ‘assassination’
