Son ‘cold-blooded’ killed in West Norwood, mother praises ‘justice’

Raman Wigan, 25, was shot in the back on the afternoon of March 27, 2019, according to The Old Bailey, after being “lusted” to the balcony of an apartment complex in West Norwood.

Kane Gilead, now 26, from Crystal Palace, who denied involvement in the shooting, was found guilty of murder after a fourth trial in the case on Wednesday.

Wigan’s mother gasped in court as the jury returned a 10-2 guilty verdict after nearly 47 hours of deliberation.

Gilead shrugged off his suit jacket and tie, shook his head, and stared at the victim’s family while holding up a picture of what appeared to be a boy in his arms.

KC Judge Michael Topolski has instructed the defendants to wait and see as the case will be adjourned until a final judgment date.

Gilead replied: 30 years for no reason. I didn’t do anything wrong. Look at you, what is your ego for?

The victim’s mother told him: “You are standing there looking at me. You killed my son.”

“I have done nothing wrong,” cried Gilead from the dock.

Mother replied: She said, “You are a murderer, but at last I will be given justice.”

Defendant said, “For what? I am innocent.”

Judge Topolsky, who remanded Gilead to custody, praised Mr Wigan’s mother, who has gone through four trials. That didn’t happen.

“There was a trial at the end of last year and the jury was unable to make a decision.

“The court has always been impressed by her calm dignity and has had to relive the horrific details of her son’s death not just once, but many times.”

At the retrial, KC prosecutor Brian O’Neill told jurors that Mr Wigan was killed because of his drug fundraising work.

He allegedly arranged for the defendant to meet with Gilead to collect money he had paid for drugs.

Mr. O’Neill: “He was shot in cold blood and in broad daylight. His murder was a deliberate and premeditated assassination.

“Mr Wigan was shot in the back with a Glock pistol, fired twice, one bullet through his chest and died rapidly. He was lured to a pre-designated location to be shot.

“It was this defendant, Kane Gilead, who lured him there. He denies involvement in the murder and claims he was wrongly identified.”

Jurors said the location was well-chosen because the surrounding staircases, corridors and sidewalks were barely visible to surveillance cameras.

However, nearby surveillance cameras confirmed that Gilead was a passenger on a Piaggio Beverly moped that was traveling to and from West Norwood.

Footage showed him getting off his bike and running towards a cluster of apartments.

“Prosecutors are not in a position or need to say whether Gilead was the shooter or a decoy that lured Raman Wigan to his death,” O’Neill said.

“A premeditated and targeted assassination is not the work of one person, and there were undoubtedly others involved in this murder. But there is no doubt about this. Kane Gilead played a key role.

“Following the shooting, the rider and passenger, the defendant, fled the scene on a scooter.”

The next day Gilead went into hiding in Liverpool and did everything possible to avoid detection, jurors said.

The court heard he was involved in the murder as well, based on his cell phone contact with the victim.

He had three mobile phones, one of which was only used on the day of the shooting.

That was the last time Wigan called, the court said, less than three minutes before he was shot.

An analysis of the mobile phone site said the defendant’s mobile phone was placed in the area about 15 minutes before the killing.

Prosecutors argued that combined evidence from analysis of CCTV, telephone and mobile phone sites showed Gilead played a key role in the murders.

Chief Inspector Kate Kieran, who was involved in the investigation, said: “While it’s not a day to celebrate, I hope this ruling will bring some comfort to Mr Raman’s family so they can begin to move on from their tragic loss.”

“The evidence we have gathered against Gilead is overwhelming and indicates that Gilead played a key role in the deliberate, premeditated and cold-blooded murder of Ramane.

“This case is also a tragic reminder of the misery that drugs wreak on communities, showing how drugs can often act as catalysts for more serious crimes.”

Report from PA.