Two men jailed for murder of Russell Jordan Jones in Ponders End

Bilkan Bilkaner, 20, of Dartford Avenue, Ponders End, and Duke Quianoo, 21, of Holbrook Close, Forty Hill, were found guilty of the murder of Russell Jordan Jones, who was killed in the early hours of March 17 last year.

On the evening of March 16, Russell and several friends were out for a meal at a restaurant in Green Lanes, when after they finished eating, one of his friends wanted to collect his van from outside some shops in South Street, Ponders End.

The group drove to the van and when they arrived they began smoking and talking.

At half past midnight, a group of men appeared from the left wearing dark clothing and masks, and began to approach Russell and his friends.

The friends dispersed in different directions before a loud bang was heard.

Russell was attacked in South Street and a post-mortem revealed he was stabbed 12 times and shot to the left side of the abdomen with a gun.

Russell Jordan Jones was killed after he was attacked in South Street. His mother described him as an "inspiration".

He was pronounced dead at 1.14am, after police and the London Ambulance Service arrived at the scene at 12.45am.

A friend of Russell sustained a single stab wound to his back and he was taken to hospital but later discharged.

Bilkaner and Quianoo were arrested on suspicion of murder and GBH on April 26 and the pair were charged with murder on April 27.

They were found guilty at the Old Bailey of murder, GBH with intent, and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, on December 11.

Yesterday, Friday, Bilkaner was sentenced to 29 years detention and Quianoo was handed a 29 year prison sentence.

CCTV captured the suspects on the night of Russell's murder

A third man, Kallum Martin, 25, of Enfield was found not guilty of all charges, and the charged pair began kicking and punching him in the dock at the court.

Russell's mother says she “can’t imagine her life without him”.

In a moving statement, she said: “"Russell was my only son, the twin to my daughter, my parents' only grandson and my sisters' only nephew. He was my strength, my protector, the only man that would always love me unconditionally.

"Every day I torture myself with the same horrible questions: did Russell know what was happening to him? How much pain was he in? What was going through his mind? Was he begging them to stop? Was he crying for his mum? I have no answers, just a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach each and every time I think about it.

"I was utterly blessed having Russell as my son. He brought so much joy, happiness and laughter to me, his twin sister, the whole family and anyone who knew him. He was an inspiration to his peers. I just can't imagine my life without him.

"He will live on in my heart and all of our lives forever, but life for me will never be the same."

Detective Inspector Simon Stancombe, from the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "On a freezing cold night last March, Bilkaner and Quianoo armed themselves with a sawn off shotgun and knives before setting out in search of opposing gang members. Tragically, the group they chose were not in a gang, they were simply a group of young men chatting outside a shop.

"The wickedness and ferocity of the attack, which was captured on CCTV, has shocked even the most seasoned of homicide detectives.”