Lionel Jeffrey

Lionel Jeffrey was shot in Royal Crescent, Holland Park at 10pm on Saturday 29 July 1995.

It was thought that his murder had been a drug-related gangland hit.

He had been shot five times and died from wounds to his stomach, chest and leg. His cause of death was given as gunshot wounds to the chest.

A doctor that had been nearby tried to save Lionel Jeffrey by performing mouth to mouth resuscitation.

He had first been shot as he sat in the driver's seat of his car, and then again in the street after he got out.

It was thought that he had been shot by motorcyclists that were seen speeding away after the shooting. They were seen racing away on one bike from Addison Road towards the M40. They were chased by a police patrol car, but shook them off by pointing a pistol at them, causing them to swerve and crash into the kerb.

Shortly before his murder, Lionel Jeffrey had been seen arguing with two men in Royal Crescent about 75 yards from the junction with Holland Park Avenue.

It was noted that there had been a number 94 bus at the Kensington Hill stop at the time and the police appealed for passengers on it to come forward. The bus had been en route from Trafalgar Square to Acton Green at the time. It was further noted that one of the passengers later alighted at Askew Road in Shepherds Bush and called 999 and gave a brief description of the murder, but no information about themselves, and the police appealed for the man to come forward, stating that he might have been a very important witness.

They said that they were also trying to trace a man seen driving a red Sierra that had been parked in front of where Lionel Jeffrey was shot and who help try to stop the bleeding with his t-shirt to come forward. 

They also appealed for the driver of a white Escort who swerved around Lionel Jeffrey's body to come forward.

The two gunmen were described as being black and wearing baseball caps. After the shooting they ran off on foot to Holland Park Avenue where they sped off on the motorbike along Addison Road.

Their descriptions were:

Suspect A:

• Black.
• Wearing baseball cap.
• Aged in his 20s.
• Wearing dark clothing.

Suspect B:

• Black.
• Wearing baseball cap.
• Aged in his 20s.
• Wearing a light shirt.

The shooting was said to have been opposite the Kensington Hilton Hotel and the Duke of Clarence pub in Holland Park Avenue, which was described as having been busy at the time and the police said that they were optimistic about their chances of learning the identity of the killers, noting that a number of people had already phoned in with information.

Lionel Jeffrey had been married with a 12-year-old daughter and had lived in York Avenue, Moore Park in Slough. It was noted that Moore Park was notorious for drug dealing.

Lionel Jeffrey was described as a 'Slough villain'. He was said to have been well known to the police and a hardened criminal, having two 14 year jail terms for armed robbery.

A detective said:

At the inquest at Westminster Coroners Court on Wednesday 20 March 1996, the Coroner said:

When a detective was criticised for how long the murder investigation was taking, the detective replied:

At the inquest, his wife said that after he was released from prison in October 1994 that Lionel Jeffrey began visiting London again and meeting old friends. She said that on 29 July 1995 that he left for London, planning to stay a few hours, but later telephoned home in the evening, tense and nervous. She said:

A witness to the murder at the inquest said that she had been in a car driven by her husband going along Royal Crescent at about 10pm on the night of the murder. She said: