27/03/2007

Teenager found guilty of young father's murder

A teenager has been found guilty of murdering young father-of-one Peter Woodhams on the doorstep of his home.

Bradley Tucker, 18, shot Mr Woodhams, the father of a three-year-old boy, in Canning Town in east London last August.

The Old Bailey heard how the fatal shootings was the final incident in a campaign of violence against Mr Woodhams and his family.

Seven months earlier Mr Woodhams had been stabbed in the neck and slashed across his face.

During the trial, Tucker, from Canning Town, claimed that he had fired the gun, a converted blank handgun, in order to scare him. He also said that he did not realise that the gun was real and thought that it would only "go bang".

Tucker told the court that he was sorry for that happened and wished that he could take it back.

Jane Bowden, Mr Woodhams' fiancee, reportedly burst into tears as the verdict was read out.

Tucker's co-defendant, a 17-year-old youth who cannot be named for legal reasons, was cleared of the murder.

Tucker will be sentenced at a later date.

Nine police officers are facing a misconduct inquiry after claims that an investigation into the previous knife attack on Mr Woodhams was not detailed enough.

(KMcA/JM)


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