Six men “intoxicated by guns” and “high on adrenaline” ended up murdering Ezra Mills with a pump-action shotgun, the Old Bailey heard.

Mr Mills was shot in the chest near Dwayne Lock’s flat in the Central Hill estate as he returned home from his aunt’s house.

The court heard how he had possibly gone to Lock’s flat to smooth over a fight between one of his friends and Lock.

But earlier that evening, four of the defendants had attempted to rob a man who had been sitting in car at 8pm, near the Central Hill estate, in Gipsy Hill, failing to do so, prosecutor Crispin Aylett said.

They then went to a flat in Wychwood Way, on the same estate, which they used as a safe house or “bolt hole”.

Then at 9pm, five of them went out on to the estate with a shotgun, the court heard.

Mr Aylett said: “They were expecting trouble with another group and when they met them outside a shop, Marcell Mason fired the gun twice.”

The other group then fled and one of them, who did not know the estate, was so scared he jumped over some railings and fell a long distance, landing on to a parked car, smashing its rear window, the court heard.

The men then returned to the safe house where they were joined by Lock.

Mr Aylett said: “The five defendants went back to the safe house and were so frustrated because they had not managed to hurt anyone.

“They were seen by eye witnesses to have passed the shotgun among themselves.”

They were together at the safe house when Lock's girlfriend, Jessica Taylor, called him to say there was a man at the door of Lock's flat waiting for him.

The man was Mr Mills.

Mr Aylett said: “This was when all six of the male defendants were still with the shotgun.

“They were armed and dangerous, intoxicated by guns and high on adrenaline. Within minutes, Ezra Mills was dead. He had been shot in the chest.

“This murder happened because of the appalling and callous way the six defendants behaved that night. They were completely out of control.”