A 22-year-old gang member who fled to The Gambia to avoid justice has been convicted of stabbing teenager Camron Smith to death in front of his mother during a horrific home invasion in Croydon.
Romario Gordon was found guilty of manslaughter at the Old Bailey on Thursday, becoming the fourth person convicted over the brutal murder of 16-year-old Camron, who was killed in his underwear as he desperately tried to barricade himself and his mother inside a bedroom on 1 July 2021.
The court heard how Gordon was part of a masked gang “effectively hunting as a pack” who stormed three homes in South London armed with zombie knives and machetes in a revenge attack after one of their associates was stabbed. The mob kicked down the door of Camron’s home on Bracken Avenue in the Shrublands estate before chasing the terrified teenager upstairs.
In heartbreaking scenes, Camron’s mother Audrey Johnson courageously tried to save her son’s life, grabbing hold of a large black zombie knife with a serrated, curved 16-inch blade wielded by one attacker. She then stood with her arms outstretched between her son and the gang in a desperate attempt to protect him, but within minutes the thugs had surrounded Camron and fatally stabbed him eight times.
Flight to The Gambia
Gordon, who was 17 at the time of the murder, was captured on CCTV fleeing in a stolen taxi that the gang had hijacked earlier by holding a knife to the driver’s throat. He dumped the murder weapon in a nearby road before fleeing the country.
Just two days after the killing, on 3 July 2021, Gordon boarded a flight from Heathrow Airport to The Gambia in a calculated attempt to evade justice. Scotland Yard immediately issued an international arrest warrant, but Gordon remained at large for over two years until he returned to the UK in August 2023 and was arrested.
Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Townsend, from Specialist Crime South, said: “Camron was just 16 when his life was brutally ended in a frenzy of violence in his own home. Romario Gordon is the fourth person convicted over Camron’s killing. The path to justice in this case has been long, and our thoughts are with Camron’s family and friends, who have endured multiple trials.”
Night of Terror
The court heard how the gang’s crime spree began when they hijacked a Toyota Prius minicab in Streatham, holding a knife to the driver Mohammed Akhmat’s throat whilst stealing his phone and vehicle. They were seeking revenge for the stabbing of their associate Jerome Taylor in Pawson’s Road, Croydon, the previous afternoon.
Armed with zombie knives and machetes, the masked gang first targeted a property in Selhurst Place, where Susan Weatherspoon awoke to find a masked intruder in her bedroom. Finding their intended target no longer lived there, they moved to a second address in Armistice Gardens, South Norwood, but were unable to force entry.
Finally, they arrived at Camron’s home on Bracken Avenue at around 12:45am. The gang kicked down the door and chased the teenager, who was wearing only his underwear, as he fled upstairs seeking shelter in his mother’s bedroom. Despite his desperate attempts to barricade the door and his mother’s heroic intervention, the attackers overwhelmed them both.
The gang spent less than two minutes in the house before fleeing in the stolen minicab and on mopeds. Camron was treated at the scene by paramedics but was pronounced dead shortly after.
Previous Convictions
Gordon’s conviction comes after three of his accomplices were previously sentenced for their roles in the murder. Romain La Pierre, 23, described by the judge as “a brutal and callous killer” with previous convictions for carrying a Samurai sword, machete and hunting knife, was jailed for life with a minimum of 28 years for murder and robbery in December 2023. It was La Pierre who wielded the zombie knife that delivered the fatal blow to Camron’s stomach.
Jordan Tcheuko, 22, who had joined a gang aged 13 after witnessing a close friend being stabbed when he was 10, was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter. James Olanipekun, now 19, received eight years for manslaughter and robbery, whilst Sako Amoniba-Burnley, from Norbury, was jailed for seven years for robbery.
A sixth member of the gang, a youth who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also convicted of robbery at an earlier trial.
Capital’s Knife Crime Crisis
The murder of Camron Smith highlighted London’s escalating knife crime crisis, with more teenagers killed in the capital in the first six months of 2021 than in the whole of 2020. His death sent shockwaves through the normally quiet Shrublands estate.
Neighbour Samantha Gail said at the time: “It’s usually a quiet area. It’s so sad. This is such a friendly area where everyone is polite to each other and there is a real community feel.”
Another local resident told reporters: “It’s continuous, people outside the house with knives, smoking weed, smashing bottles and now it’s led to a murder… it’s getting worse. I think London is getting worse in general.”
DCI Townsend added: “The injuries inflicted on Camron were shocking. From the very start, the investigation team was determined to get the people responsible off our streets. Despite the complexity of the investigation, and attempts to hinder our enquiries, we have succeeded in bringing him to justice.”
DNA Evidence Crucial
The gang members were linked to the attack through DNA evidence recovered from the abandoned minicab, which was found in Hastings Road, Lower Addiscombe. Location data from electronic tags, CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts and cell site evidence also helped build the case against them.
Gordon had previously been cleared at an earlier trial of murdering 17-year-old Damani Mauge, who was stabbed to death on a London bus in March 2020. His mother, Allison Scott, 55, was acquitted of assisting an offender after being accused of helping her son flee the country by driving him to Heathrow whilst avoiding CCTV cameras and booking his flight using her email address.
Gordon has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at a later date. The conviction brings to an end a four-year investigation that has seen Camron’s family endure multiple trials as they sought justice for their son’s senseless murder.
The Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “This dangerous group of men will now spend a long time behind bars, but the effect of what they did will be felt by the victim’s shattered families for longer. We will continue to tackle violent offenders and ensure that justice is brought for the safety of our communities.”
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