Crays Hill: Men found guilty following shooting incident

Three men are facing significant prison sentences after work by our specialist officers ensured they were convicted over a shooting incident in Crays Hill.

Through their meticulous work, detectives from our Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) identified Johnny Smith, 20, Donny Archer, 27, and Nelson Buckland, 21, as being responsible for shooting at a victim travelling in his vehicle in the Gardners Lane North area in the early hours of 18 April last year.

The trio had fired at the vehicle at around 12.30am, having laid in wait as part of what officers described as a feud between two groups.

During the attack, a van being driven in the area was struck multiple times by shotgun rounds, causing damage and only narrowly missing the driver.

Thankfully, there were no injuries as a result of the attack.

Our officers were able to put all three men in the area when the incident took place and trace their movements pre and post offence.

It was subsequently shown that Archer and Smith were also responsible for burglary in Steeple Bumpstead on the 16 March where four shotguns were stolen.

It is believed these guns were used in the attack a month later.

Officers also established they had stolen an Audi S3 during a burglary in Brentwood on the 2 April, and this was used by them during the shooting and served as a getaway car.

To avoid police post offence all three fled Essex soon afterwards, changing their appearances and using fake names to book hotels to evade arrest.

Officers established that Archer had made internet searches related to the incident in the days after it happened.

Voice messages sent from Smith’s phone stated he was expecting to be arrested over the incident and that he also expected to be going to prison ‘for a long time’.

Review of prison phone calls also identified the suspects involvement in the offence and their plans to evade conviction.

Smith, of Oak Road, Crays Hill, Buckland, of Risebridge Chase, Romford, and Archer, of Kelvedon Road, Tiptree were charged with attempted GBH with intent, possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and burglary offences.

Smith had also been charged with driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

All three men were found guilty following a trial at Basildon Crown Court on Thursday 12 March and are due to be sentenced at the same court on Thursday 7 May.

Detective Sergeant Steve Robson, from SOCU, said:

The actions of Johnny Smith, Donny Archer, and Nelson Buckland posed a significant risk to the public, acting brazenly in an attack that could have ended someone life.
Only luck prevented a tragedy.
However, they were unable to get away with their crimes due to the dedication, perseverance, and expertise of my team.
Through our painstaking investigative work we were able to show that all three were in the area, using a stolen car that linked them to the incident.
This took months of work to identify them, with only limited evidence at the crime scene, in order to plot their movements and provide the jury with the evidence they needed to convict.
All three men now face time behind bars.

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