Four men will stand trial next March over a murder plot that allegedly resulted in the shooting of ‘Black Panther of Oxford’ Sasha Johnson.
The equal rights campaigner and Oxford graduate was shot in the head at a silent disco house party in Peckham, south London, on May 23.
The shooting left the 27-year-old, who was heavily involved in the Black Lives Matter movement, in a critical condition. She remains in hospital.
Prince Dixon, 25, of Gravesend, Kent, Troy Reid, 20 of Southwark, Cameron Deriggs, 18, of Lewisham, and Devonte Brown, 19, of Southwark, appeared before the Old Bailey on Tuesday charged with conspiracy to murder.
They are accused of conspiring together and with others unknown to murder ‘a person’.
The men have also been charged with possession of a handgun and ammunition with intent to endanger life.
Appearing before the Old Bailey by video link from Belmarsh prison on Tuesday, they spoke only to confirm their names and not guilty pleas.
Police forensic officers search a street in Peckham, southeast London, close to where black equal rights activist Sasha Johnson was shot in the head during the early hours Picture: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire
Mr Justice Sweeney, who joined the hearing remotely from Manchester Crown Court, confirmed the six-week trial would start on March 7 next year.
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 at a 30th birthday party.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said her condition was now ‘serious but stable’. She continues to receive treatment in hospital.
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