'Furious' UK Mother Helped Son Carry Out Murder After Youths Knocked on Her Door, Court Told

In April 2021, Levi Ernest-Morrison, 17, was stabbed to death near his home in Sydenham, south east London. A police investigation led them to a teenager and his mother.

A woman drove her teenage son and three of his friends around the streets of south-east London before they carried out a murderous knife attack on a youth, a court has heard.

Nicola Leighton, 36, and her son, Tyreese Ulysses, 19, deny murdering Levi-Ernest Morrison.

They went on trial at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, 6 October, along with three other youths, who were 14, 15, and 17 at the time of the killing.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn-Jones, QC, told the jury that Levi and his friends had knocked on the door of Leighton’s home earlier on the evening of 10 April looking for her son Tyreese.

Tyreese did not live with her and it was the third time youths had “bothered” her, Mr Emlyn-Jones told the jury.

He said she was “furious” and called 999 to report the harassment to the police.

The phone call was played to the court and in it Leighton can be heard saying: “If they come back I will batter them.”

The 999 operator warns her against taking the law into her own hands and reminds her the phone call is being recorded.

But Leighton goes on to say: “I’m not going to back down.”

Mr Emlyn-Jones said she then called Tyreese and he “rallied the troops” and came to her house with his friends.

The prosecution claim Leighton then drove her red Suzuki jeep around the streets of Sydenham until they spotted Levi and one of his friends.

He said Levi and his friend split up and the pursuers split up into two groups with one pair going after the friend, who warded them off with his own knife.

Mr Emlyn-Jones said: “Levi was not so lucky. Levi also had a knife…but he didn’t have a chance to take his knife out. Two youths crossed the road and he was caught, stabbed and killed.”

He said the Suzuki sped off and the whole incident only took 30 seconds.

Leighton, Ulysses and the other three deny murder and Leighton and one of the younger defendants deny possession of offensive weapons.