WOOLWICH—A drug dealer used “spotters” and tracked the social media activity of a music manager in the days before he was shot dead outside a party in rural Essex, a murder trial jury has heard.
Nana Oppong, 43, has gone on trial along with Israar Shah, 39, accused of the murder of Robert “Fox” Powell, 50, who was shot dead in Roydon, Essex just before 5 a.m. on June 13, 2020.
Mr. Oppong denies organising the murder using EncroChat encrypted devices and two “burner phones.”
Both men deny murder and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, while Mr. Oppong has also pleaded not guilty to wounding with intent and being in possession of a prohibited weapon.
The prosecution said a third man, Temitope Adeyinka, known as “Limo,” was involved in the murder but is on the run.
Opening the case at Woolwich Crown Court, Justin Rouse, KC, said of Mr. Oppong, “He is a high-level drug dealer who is familiar with guns and you will see his messaging referencing violence.”
Mr. Rouse said, “He slipped out of the country after this murder but was finally caught as he entered Morocco hiding in the back of a lorry. He was extradited to the UK to face this trial. The paperwork he was travelling on illustrates his ability and resources to cover his tracks.”
The prosecutor said Mr. Oppong was the “instigator, protagonist, and principal organiser” of the killing of Mr. Powell.
“His defence disclosed in his defence statement, put simply, is that he wasn’t there, knows nothing of the gun and he wasn’t the user of any telephone shown to be present,” added Mr. Rouse.
Mr. Shah admits he was in Roydon at the time of the shooting but claims he was only there to sell drugs to the partygoers.
Mr. Rouse read out a message which had allegedly been sent to Mr. Oppong a week before the murder by one of his “spotters,” a man called Trevor Hamilton.
It read, “So how do you plan to do this? I’m sick of his acting, bro.”
Another message allegedly notified Mr. Oppong that Mr. Powell was at a party at an apartment in London’s Royal Victoria Dock.
‘Evidence of Malice’
Mr. Rouse said the message was “evidence of malice” toward Mr. Powell.The prosecutor said Mr. Powell announced the party on June 12/13 in Roydon on Instagram and invited people to come along.
On Monday the jury was shown dashcam footage from a passing car which showed three cars—a Ford Kuga, a Vauxhall Zafira and a Toyota Prius—which the prosecution claimed travelled to Roydon in “convoy” and then parked up on the verge of a country lane close to the party which Mr. Powell was hosting at around 4 a.m.
The jury was then shown CCTV footage at the front of the house where the party was staged as Mr. Powell emerged with his two adult sons at around 4:45 a.m..
Mr. Rouse pointed out the Prius, which he claimed contained Mr. Shah and Mr. Adeyinka, who he said were acting as “spotters” and were in communication with the Kuga which he claimed contained Mr. Oppong.
The jury watched as the Kuga drove past and then stopped.
Mr. Rouse told the jury, “The door opens and that’s when the gunman gets out of the car. You can’t see him because he’s obscured by the foliage.”
‘It Doesn’t Matter Who Pulled the Trigger’
Mr. Rouse said, “The gunman may have been Nana Oppong or someone else from the Kuga. It doesn’t matter who pulled the trigger, this was what lawyers call a joint enterprise, they were in it together and are equally responsible.”The prosecutor said Mr. Powell was shot eight times but they were all “in and out wounds” and none of the bullets lodged in his body.
Two other women who were with Mr. Powell were also shot, but survived.
Mr. Rouse described them as Victim 1 and Victim 2. He said the first woman had agreed to give a statement, which would be played to the jury, on condition she was not named.
He said of the second woman, “she has declined to take part in this case” and has not co-operated with the police.
Mr. Powell died in hospital the following day.
His cosmetic gold jewellery teeth brace was found on the ground nearby, after being literally shot out of his mouth by one of the bullets.
Mr. Rouse said the gunman later dumped the Kuga in an industrial estate near Epping—where it was later picked up and disposed of—and transferred to the Zafira.
Found in Spain With Fake Passport
The prosecution say Mr. Shah was arrested at a hotel in Malaga, Spain, where he was using a fake passport in the name of Barry Clatworthy.Mr. Oppong was discovered hiding in the back of a lorry, trying to cross from Spain into Morocco.
Mr. Rouse said crucial evidence in the trial would be two EncroChat devices it is claimed Mr. Oppong was using, one with the handle “fancycleaner” and the other “stylingcrown.”
The prosecutor said it was clear Mr. Oppong had a “grievance” with Mr. Powell but what it entailed was not clear.
The trial is set to last for six weeks.
