A man who fired a gun in an attempt to intimidate a former girlfriend outside a busy pub during New Year’s Eve celebrations has been jailed.
Cardell Thompson – 26 (20.11.96) of Clifford Gardens, NW10 was jailed for a total of 13 years following a sentencing hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday, 24 May. He had pleaded guilty to discharging the firearm in the early hours of 1 January 2022 at an earlier hearing.
The court heard how Thompson had turned up at the pub in Chamberlyne Road, NW10 at around 21:30hrs on 31 December 2021. Throughout the evening, Thompson made attempts to speak to a former girlfriend – the woman was not interested in engaging with him and as the evening drew on Thompson became more agitated, culminating in him shouting that he was going to get a firearm and return to the venue.
At around 30 minutes into the New Year, Thompson returned brandishing a handgun, shouting threats to his former girlfriend. He fired the weapon into the air outside the pub and then attempted, but failed, to discharge it again. Thompson then attempted to gain access to the pub but was pushed back by staff; he then fled the scene on foot, throwing the gun into a nearby garden.
Thompson returned a short time later by which time police had arrived and he was arrested.
The gun was recovered and Thompson’s DNA was found on it. A search of his address by officers uncovered quantities of cocaine and ketamine, packaged for sale, along with a phone which provided further evidence of drug dealing.
Thompson was charged with firearms and drugs offences on 2 January 2022.
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb, a Trident detective from the Met’s Specialist Crime, said: “It is only by good fortune that Cardell Thompson was unable to discharge this firearm more than once, preventing significant injury or worse from occurring.
“This sentencing reflects the dangerous nature of Thompson and the gravity of the offences he committed. Thanks to the joined up work of Prosecuting Counsel and the Crown Prosecution Service, together with Trident detectives, this matter has progressed successfully through the courts and a dangerous man is now behind bars.
“This joined up working reflects our commitment to ensuring that those engage in violence against women and girls are held to account for their actions.
“We were able to remove a lethal firearm from the circulation on London’s streets during the course of this investigation. The use of firearms in our communities cannot be tolerated, the harm caused by them can be untold and I’d appeal to Londoners to come forward with any information they have about the location of lethal firearms so we can remove these from our city. You can call police, or if you are not comfortable speaking our officers, please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. You can do this anonymously and they will not ask for your details.”
= Cardell Thompson pleaded guilty on the first day of trial at Southwark Crown Court on 14 November 2022 to the following offences; he was sentenced on 24 May at the same court:
– Possession of Firearm with intent to cause fear of violence – ten years’ imprisonment;
– Possession of ammunition without certificate – three years’ imprisonment to run concurrently;
– Possession of Class A (Cocaine, Ketamine) with intent to supply – three years and four months’ imprisonment to run consecutively;
– Assault ABH (on pub staff) – 12 months’ imprisonment to run concurrently.
