Drug dealer who murdered teen in turf war will 'never be forgiven'

A drug dealer convicted of the murder of a teenage rival as part of a drugs turf war has been sent a message by the victim's grieving family. Leon Bangura, 21, plunged a Rambo-style knife into the chest of Kalvin Taylor as part of a two-minute drugs raid on a flat in Lefroy Road, Norwich. Mr Taylor, 19, was part of the so-called "Batman" county lines gang and was fatally stabbed by Bangura - a member of the rival "Lenny" gang. This week, as Bangura was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 31 years, Mr Taylor's heartbroken grandmother told the killer: "We can never forgive you." Reading an emotional statement , Lorraine Hall said: "It takes longer for a coffee shop in this country to make a cup of coffee than it did for you to run up to the flat and kill my grandson." Ms Hall, who helped raise her grandson, said it is "hard to articulate" the impact of his loss on his family. "We miss him every day and will never get over this," she added. The court heard he initially loved school but as he grew older was "easily led" and "became involved with others who became a bad influence on him". Despite this, Ms Hall said it was a "blessing" to have had him in their lives and described how sorry she felt being unable to "protect" him from it all. She added that she missed him with "every beat of my heart" and wished she "could give my grandson another chance of life". Sentencing Bangura at Norwich Crown Court, Judge Alice Robinson said: "I'm quite satisfied this was a murder done for gain." She added that Bangura had not just gone to the flat to recover a drugs debt but to rob Mr Taylor - or whoever else was dealing there - "of drugs and or money". Bangura was found guilty of murder in January following an eight week trial. Before he was jailed, Collingwood Thompson KC, prosecuting, said although the court had to impose a life sentence - and a minimum term was all the judge had to set - the starting point should be 30 years. He said the killing happened "in the course of a robbery" and "the fatal blow was delivered on the course of that". Graeme Molloy, who represented Bangura, said it was accepted "a life has been taken at his hands". But he said the defendant was a "young man with a complex background" which led to "immaturity, suggestibility and vulnerability". He added he had come from a "broken home" and found himself "mixed up in the evil" of class A drugs. Mr Molloy said: "That's his choice and he faces the consequences." Bangura, from London, had also admitted to being concerned in the supply of class A drugs - heroin and cocaine - as well as possession with intent to supply cocaine and having a bladed article when he was arrested in Norwich in September 2024. His trial heard the teen’s death at the property in Mile Cross was the result of turf wars between the rival drug gangs. The court heard that Mr Taylor had been staying at a flat there when Bangura had attended with others to recover money from tenant Richard Iverson, who owed a £200 debt. CCTV evidence showed a white Audi A3 - believed to be an unlicensed taxi - stopping on the opposite side of Lefroy Road and showing its occupants walking in the direction of the flat where the murder took place. Footage captured Bangura having changed his clothing walking from Prince of Wales Road and into the train station. Bangura had claimed self-defence telling the jury he had seen Mr Taylor, who had been dealing drugs from the flat, with a "big knife beside him" when they entered. He claimed he had "thought he was going to die" and was just trying to protect himself. Bangura's co-defendants Adam Dugdale, 56, of Shorncliffe Avenue, Norwich, and Carrie-Anne Hall, 52, of Lodge Breck, Norwich were both found not guilty of murder and manslaughter. A fourth defendant, Soulay Fornah, 19, from Southwark in London, was cleared earlier in the trial. Meanwhile a fifth defendant, Andrew Holmes, 52, Bowthorpe Road, Norwich, was cleared of assisting an offender part-way through the trial. Speaking after sentencing, Det Insp Dave McCormack said: “I want to pay tribute to Kalvin Taylor’s family for the courage, dignity and resilience they have shown throughout what has been a harrowing investigation and a long, difficult trial. Our thoughts remain firmly with them. I also want to thank every officer, staff member and partner agency involved in this complex enquiry for their professionalism, determination and absolute commitment to securing justice."