Abdullah Hassan: Sheffield man, 25, murdered when figures 'stepped out of shadows and shot him,' jury hears
A Sheffield man was murdered when he was lured out of his flat with a phone call before figures “emerged from the shadows” and shot him, a prosecutor has claimed.
Abdullah Hassan was just 25 years old when he was fatally shot, in an incident on Callow Drive, Gleadless Valley, shortly at around 1.13am on April 9, 2023.
Now, four people are standing trial at Sheffield Crown Court charged with a conspiracy to draw Abdullah outside and shoot him in the dead of night.
Prosecutor Stephen Wood KC told the jury at the opening on November 11: “It was a cold blooded, targeted shooting and murder. That is the real essence of the case.
“One person would have pulled the trigger. But we, the crown, say four people are responsible for his murder.
“Each of those four people, you will see, played a crucial role in his death.”
The four people charged with Abdullah’s murder are: Alex Taff, 30, of Springfields, Catcliffe; Andrew Horton, aged 47, of Smelter Wood Crescent; Osai Williams, aged 29, of HMP Lowdham Grange; and Demi Dunford, 29, of Derby Street, Sheffield.
A fifth woman, Emma Horton, 37, of Smelter Wood Crescent, Sheffield, who is also Andrew Horton’s sister, is charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Williams is also charged with three counts of possessing with intent to supply drugs (crack cocaine, cannabis and heroin), as well as using another person to hide a firearm.
All five deny their charges.
‘One of those three stepped out of the shadows’
Prosecutor Stephen Wood KC told the jury the shooting came after Abdullah enjoyed a barbecue with friends on the afternoon April 8 on a grassy area outside the Callow Drive flats.
Callow Drive is known for its distinctive green high rise flats, and Abdullah lived on the eighth floor of one of these buildings, in the Newfield block.
After the barbecue, he returned to his flat with his brother and sat up until the early hours.
However, prosecutors claim that half a mile away, at Demi Dunford’s flat on Derby Street, a plan was set in motion that would end in the 25-year-old losing his life.
Mr Wood said: “Just prior to the shooting, at about 1.06am, three figures in dark clothing are pictured on CCTV walking along the path from Derby Street in the direction of Callow Drive.
“We say those three were Osai Williams, Demi Dunford, and Alexander Taff, while Andrew Horton - who we say was the armourer who supplied the firearm - waited at Demi’s flat on Derby Street to drive them away after the shooting.”
Mr Wood said evidence in the trial will include records of phone calls and texts made by the defendants.
One of these, Mr Wood says, was made to Abdullah by Taff, on the pretence of buying drugs off of him.
Mr Wood said: “We say the real reason for that call was to lure him from his premises on the 8th floor.
“And when he emerged from the exit, one of those three stepped out of the shadows and shot Mr Hassan in the leg.”
‘Huge quantities of blood’
The three figures reportedly ran as Abdullah retreated inside the flat block - but the damage was already done.
The bullet - which evidence will show was a blank that was converted to be functional and deadly - completely severed his femoral artery in his left leg.
Mr Wood said: “As a result of that shot, he was quickly losing huge quantities of blood.
“He managed to get to second floor of those flats before eventually collapsing there and suffering catastrophic blood loss.
“Here, he was discovered by other residents who did their best to help him with CPR.
“In the meantime, those three figures can be seen at 1.14am running away from the scene.”
The jury was shown photos of extensive blood stains outside the block and on the staircase, particularly on the second floor landing.
Upstairs in the flat, the next thing Abdullah’s brother was aware of was a “frantic banging on the door.”
Mr Wood said: “He got up, and it was his neighbour, who told him he needed to come quickly as his brother was injured.
“He made his way from the eighth floor to the second floor where he saw his brother covered in blood.”
Paramedics did what they could, but nothing could be done to save him, and Abdullah was pronounced dead at the scene at 1.35am.
“How did it come to this?” Mr Wood asked the jury. “That is maybe one of the questions you will have to consider in the course of this trial.
“We say it doesn’t matter which of the four [defendants] actually pulled the trigger, they are all equally responsible for his murder.”
The jury was shown CCTV taken from a distance of the shooting, which shows three figures running from the scene.
Andrew Horton’s DNA was reportedly recovered from a cartridge found at the scene.
It is alleged the three figures - Williams, Dunford and Taff - returned to the flat on Derby Street where they were driven away by Horton.
Evidence will reportedly include statements from a man who bought drugs from Williams and who was called on to do “a favour,” before Williams arrived with three black bin bags filled with clothing, that the 29-year-old later collected.
The trial continues.