A gang member and drill rapper has been convicted of the murder of a 22-year-old man in a case of mistaken identity.
Mr. Badzak—who had been to university and planned to train as a solicitor—suffered fatal injuries after being attacked on Feb. 6, 2021, by a gang from the South Kilburn estate in north west London, who were seeking to target rival youths.
A third man, Harvey Canavan, 19, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the start of the trial.
After the jury deliberated for more than 25 hours, Mr. Gedel and Mr. Ambersley were acquitted of the attempted murder of Mr. Badzak’s friend but convicted of unlawfully wounding him.
In court Mr. Gedel—whose street name was BroadayYay—played down his links with South Kilburn and denied he was part of a gang that night that was intent on hunting down and killing rivals.
The South Kilburn gang have a long-standing rivalry with the Harrow Road Boys (HRB), who are based on the Mozart estate in west Kilburn.
The trial heard Mr. Gedel had first been convicted of carrying a bladed article in a public place on July 24, 2014, when he was 13 years old.
He was convicted again for the same offence on April 9, 2018, and then again on April 26, 2018.
‘Scouting’ For Victims in a Bakery
At one point the jury was shown video footage from inside a bakery as Mr. Gedel went inside and tried to ascertain the identities of two people who were buying food. When he realised they were young women he lost interest and left the shop.Prosecutor Anthony Orchard, KC, said: “Gedel is captured on CCTV walking to the right of the two young people and apparently ‘inspecting’ them, before leaving. Nothing was purchased … We suggest Gedel and Ambersley were looking for a youth or youths for the group they were with to attack, scouting them out.”
Seventeen minutes after drawing a blank in the bakery, Mr. Gedel and his gang found Mr. Badzak and his friend who were walking back from a Waitrose supermarket.
Orchard said the pair were “minding their own business” and he added: “Neither victim was a gang member or associate. It appears they were the unfortunate victims of mistaken identity.”
Mr. Badzak was stabbed four times but managed to run a short distance before collapsing outside a burger restaurant.
Paramedics arrived but were unable to save his life. Pathologist Dr. Charlotte Randall conducted a post-mortem examination which showed the cause of death was a stab wound through the heart.
Mr. Moore—who was 16 at the time—was stabbed once in the back but he managed to run 150 yards to a Tesco store where he sought help. The attackers gave up the chase and headed back to the South Kilburn estate.
At his trial, Mr. Gedel was cross-examined by Mr. Orchard, who said he was a “habitual carrier of knives.”
Mr. Gedel said: “I was 13 at the time of my first conviction. I used to get bullied by older people, then it became a bad habit.”
Victim’s Mother Says Killer’s Evidence ‘Lie After Lie’
Mr. Badzak’s Croatia-born mother, Jasna, told The Epoch Times: “Everything he says it’s just lie after lie after lie.”She said: “He was boasting on Snapchat after killing my son about ‘getting things done’ and ‘attacking the opposition.’”
Mr. Orchard had cross examined Mr. Gedel about why someone would have sent him a video on Snapchat of Mr. Badzak lying dead, or dying, in the street.
The prosecutor asked him: “Why did people know that you would be interested in Mr. Badzak being stabbed?”
Mr. Gedel replied: “I have no idea but Kilburn is my area. It’s my home. It’s where I grew up.”
“It’s your territory?” suggested Mr. Orchard.
“No,” replied Mr. Gedel, who claimed he had been dealing cannabis with a group on the night of the stabbing when suddenly some of them attacked Mr. Badzak without any provocation.
Mr. Gedel said he ran off with the others but maintained he himself had not stabbed anyone and had no idea why the others had attacked Mr. Badzak.
Long History of Gang Rivalry
The rivalry between South Kilburn and the rival HRB goes back at least a decade.But one of the most shameful moments was the murder in May 2017 of Mohanna Abdhou, 20, who was killed by a stray bullet as she hung out with friends on the South Kilburn estate.
Ms. Abdhou, known to friends as Montana, was not the intended victim and the gunmen, who escaped on bicycles, were targeting members of the South Kilburn gang she was with but the bullet ricocheted off a wall and struck her in the back.
In May 2018 two young men who were associated with the HRB were acquitted of Ms. Abdhou’s murder.
Although it was not mentioned at Mr. Gedel’s trial, The Epoch Times is aware that a photograph of Mr. Badzak with a drill rapper associated with the Mozart estate—who cannot be identified for legal reasons—was posted on the rapper’s Instagram page shortly after Mr. Badzak was killed.
The rapper wrote: “RIP to the kid who died. I don’t know him but he was a fan of my music so bless his fam(ily) through these hard times.”
Mr. Gedel, Mr. Ambersley and Mr. Canavan will be sentenced later this summer.
