Four deny murder plot over Sasha Johnson shooting

Four men have pleaded not guilty to a murder plot which allegedly led to the shooting of a black equal rights campaigner at a 30th birthday party.

Sasha Johnson, 27, a mother-of-two, was left in a critical condition after she was shot in the head at a silent disco in Peckham in the early hours of Sunday May 23.

Prince Dixon, 25, of Gravesend, Kent, Troy Reid, 20 of Southwark, Cameron Deriggs, 18, of Lewisham, and Devonte Brown, 19, of Southwark, are charged with conspiracy to murder.

The charge says they conspired together and with others unknown to murder “a person”.

The defendants are also charged with possession of a handgun and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

On Tuesday they appeared at the Old Bailey by video link from Belmarsh prison.

They spoke to confirm their names and plead not guilty to the charges.

Mr Justice Sweeney, who joined the hearing remotely from Manchester Crown Court, confirmed the six-week trial would start on March 7 next year.

He set a pre-trial hearing for February 21 next year.

The defendants were further remanded into custody.

Ms Johnson is a founding member of the Taking The Initiative Party and had been a prominent figure in the Black Lives Matter movement last summer.

Police have said previously they do not believe she was the intended victim of the shooting.

Ms Johnson's condition is now “serious but stable” as she continues to receive treatment in hospital, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said her