A man has been jailed for life after he was convicted of the murder of a policeman and a nightclub bouncer in south London more than 12 years ago

BBC News:

Gary Nelson, 36, from Woolwich, south-east London, was found guilty of killing doorman William Danso and Pc Patrick Dunne in Clapham in 1993.

He was part of a trio who laughed as they fired shots at Mr Danso before turning the gun on Pc Dunne.

A judge at Woolwich Crown Court said he must serve at least 35 years in jail.

Nelson gave no evidence during the five-week trial, nor was he in court to hear the jury return an unanimous verdict.

The court earlier heard Nelson targeted the club doorman for "disrespecting" him - once, when he was refused entry to a Brixton nightclub and again on the day he died when he broke up a fight involving Nelson.

He and two unidentified accomplices then laughed as they fired a hail of bullets at 31-year-old Mr Danso in his hallway on 20 October 1993.

Meanwhile beat officer Pc Dunne, 44, who had been investigating a minor domestic dispute in Cato Road, Clapham, heard gunshots from the house opposite and went to investigate.

But as the unarmed policeman stepped into the street he was hit by a single shot to the chest, killing him instantly.

The trial heard that Nelson, a father-of-two, was a man with an "extraordinary short fuse", and is currently serving a jail term for firearms offences.

Richard Horwell, prosecuting, said he had murdered Mr Danso "out of wickedness and complete madness", adding that there was no way he could have failed to realise Pc Dunne was a policeman.

"He was wearing his uniform and reflective yellow top.

"It was such a casual act to which the gunman responded by laughing as they made good their escape. To some, life is very insignificant indeed," he added.

During the trial, it emerged that Nelson had already been charged once with the murders just five weeks after they took place, but the case was dropped because of insufficient evidence.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Wilkie said the killings were "callous as they were brutal and as they were senseless".

"Each of them was unarmed and shot to death, for no reason other than they were doing their jobs," he added.

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