Ben Purdy’s girlfriend taunted her former lover’s sister over her miscarriage, the Old Bailey heard on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old trainee plumber was shot in the head as violence erupted between him and 22-year-old Michael Bagnall, his girlfriend’s ex, it has been claimed.
The teenager was killed after Bagnall allegedly recruited his uncle, Andrew Bayne, 37, his cousin Reece Bayne, 19, and a 17-year-old, who cannot be named, to track down Ben and his friends on the streets of south London.
The shooting allegedly took place after an earlier confrontation between Ben and Bagnall in Alpine Road, Bermondsey, involving friends and family of both men brandishing knives, heavy chains and metal poles.
Callum Malone, a friend of Purdy’s who was allegedly threatened with a gun during the incident, told the court that he was aware the Purdy family made it clear they did not want the girlfriend ‘Ashley’ to attend the funeral.
During cross examination, Michael Magarian QC, representing Michael Bagnall, put it to Mr Malone that Ashley had been deliberately antagonising Ben by staying in contact with her former lover and talking to him on the phone in Ben’s presence.
Mr Malone said: “I didn’t know that they [Bagnall and Ashley] were still in contact.
“I can’t say if she was winding up Ben because I didn’t know, at times when he was on the phone to her that day he did seem to be more argumentative.
“I did hear that she had not attended the funeral and that had been because the family didn’t want her there.”
Mr Magarian said to Mr Malone: “Ashley used to taunt my client’s sister Lee-Ann Bagnall via Facebook about losing her child to a miscarriage, which is where part of this ill feeling comes from, isn’t it?”
Mr Malone denied any knowledge of the taunts. He also denied taking weapons with him to Bagnall’s house earlier that day.
He told the court he had a heavy duty extendable torch and a bike chain on him because he sometimes went fishing and was due to collect a bicycle from his sister’s house later that day.
He said: “I didn’t see them as weapons, I mentioned them to the police when I was being questioned because I thought they might see them as things which could be used as weapons.
“I didn’t have an intention to use the torch as a weapon, only to intimidate somebody if they came at me with a weapon, in order to make them hesitate, which is what I did and when it didn’t work I ran.”
Michael Bagnall and Andrew Bayne, of Alpine Road, Lewisham, Reece Bayne, of Concorde Way, also in Lewisham, and the 17-year-old, all deny murder.
Michael Bagnall, Lee-Ann Bagnall and Anthony Bayne, both also of Alpine Road, Lewisham, all deny affray.
Michael Bagnall, Reece Bayne, and the 17-year-old all deny conspiracy to commit assault occasioning ABH.
Andrew Bayne denies possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
The trial continues.