Four cleared of involvement in gun murder

FOUR men yesterday walked free from court after being cleared of any involvement in a plot to kill a member of a rival postcode gang in a drive-by shooting.

A jury at Sheffield Crown Court unanimously found Marcus Thompson, 31, of Bowfield Road, Firth Park, Sheffield, not guilty of murdering James Kamara, 22.

His cousin, Tobias Thompson, 27, of Jenkin Road, Brightside and Aaron Storey, 21, of Standish Close, Shirecliffe, were cleared of conspiracy to murder.

A fourth man, 22-year-old Barrington Broomfield was charged with assisting an offender by burning the car involved in the shooting, but was also cleared.

Mr Kamara was shot dead in Brunswick Street, Sheffield, last July. Police claimed that the four had orchestrated the murder as part of a tit-for-tat gang battle.

After the verdict, Mr Kamara’s family left the court in tears, while the four men and their supporters celebrated outside.

In a statement, his mother Yenaba Kamara said: “We are devastated by the verdict and urge anyone who has any information about our son’s killing to come forward and contact the police.”