The mother of a woman gunned down in her own home while protecting her children said the ‘heartbroken’ family would never be the same again, as they marked the first anniversary of her death.
Lianne Gordon, 42, was shot through the door of her Hackney house by a teenage gangster involved in a feud with local rivals.
The shooting on December 5 last year took place just hours after the family returned from a holiday to Jamaica.
A court heard that Joshua Alexander, 17, had filed the fatal shot which struck Ms Gordon in the head. He was given a life sentence at the Old Bailey on Monday.
The court was told she had been the unintended victim in a gangland dispute and was trying to protect her children inside their own home.
Lianne’s mother Ella Leatham told Metro on the anniversary of her daughter’s death: ‘It was devastating. It has been a nightmare for the whole family.
‘We are heartbroken. It’s been a year now and all we can do is take every day as it comes.
‘Lianne died doing what she would always do, protecting her family. Everyone could count on her.
‘She was my go to call, she was just an amazing person.’
Speaking about the night of the attack she told Metro she would never forget getting a call about what happened to Lianne.
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She said: ”We had all just gone on holiday to Jamaica to celebrate a 90th birthday.
‘I had got home and my granddaughter rang and was screaming ‘mum’s been shot, mum’s been shot’.
‘We have always lived in Hackney and growing up I never felt my children were not safe.
‘We never had any crime that affected us. But things have changed – the young boys have been lost to the streets.
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‘That’s where they spend their time and they commit crimes without worrying about the consequences.’
On the conviction of her daughter’s killer she said: ‘The result was the right one according to the law as it is.
‘But I would bring back capital punishment personally. I am relieved the killer was named in court.
‘At one stage because of his young age it seemed he wouldn’t. That wouldn’t be fair people need to know who he is.’
Judge David Aubrey lifted a reporting restriction on Alexander, who turns 18 in February, being named.
‘Lianne died doing what she would always do, protecting her family.
Paying tribute to her daughter Mrs Leatham said the family had planted a commemorative tree that they would visit on the anniversary today (Thursday).
She added: ‘She was just wonderful, a positive person in every way. She looked out for her sisters and her cousin who is partially sighted she would do anything for anyone.
‘She was sporty and did boxing for a while, she was a family loving amazing girl.
‘I’m so proud of her and my other children and grandchildren.’
She called for more action on youth crime adding: ‘I never felt unsafe in Hackney, now I am wary the streets are dangerous like never before.’
In a victim impact statement, Ms Gordon’s twin sister Louise told the court:’ I feel like I have lost my other half. She had nothing but love for me, as she did for everyone who was lucky enough to be in her circle.”
‘This gun crime has ripped a hole in my family and there is nothing we can do about it.’
Sentencing the teenager, Judge Aubrey told him: ‘You murdered an innocent woman who was behind her front door in her own home.
‘Her home should have been a sanctuary, a place of safety.’
The judge said Alexander was ‘on a mission that night to execute members of your opposing gang’ and had ‘devastated’ Ms Gordon’s family, inflicting on them ‘unimaginable grief’.
He told Alexander: ‘You have shown no remorse whatsoever. Notwithstanding that you have murdered an innocent person in her own home who was not the intended target.’
The judge said this was illustrated by rap lyrics found in his prison cell in January that were ‘glorifying’ his crimes.
In January, rap lyrics were recovered from the teenage killer’s prison cell referring to the shooting – saying that Ms Gordon was ‘wigged’, the trial heard.
Among the handwritten lyrics discovered was one which read, ‘Hus got left all red at the station’ – with ‘Hus’ being the nickname of the man who was the victim of the attempted murder at Hackney Central railway station.
Speaking after Alexander was handed a life sentence at the Old Bailey earlier this week Det Chf Insp Joanna Yorke, who led the investigation, said: ‘Alexander is a dangerous individual, who at just 16 years old had no qualms about carrying and using a deadly weapon.
‘We are pleased he has been brought to justice and that he will now spend a significant period behind bars.
‘Our thoughts of course remain with the loved ones of Lianne Gordon, a mother of two who was shot dead for reasons we may never fully understand.
‘We know this has been an extremely difficult time and we will continue to offer them our full support.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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