Jamie Duncan Remanded at Old Bailey over Murder of Teen Girlfriend

A 21-year-old man has appeared at the Old Bailey accused of murdering his teenage girlfriend by shooting her in the face before allegedly fleeing to Spain.

Jamie Duncan, of no fixed address, appeared via video-link from Wormwood Scrubs prison on Tuesday, charged with the murder of 19-year-old Israa Djeddou alongside three firearms offences.

The defendant was remanded into custody by Judge Nigel Lickley KC ahead of a plea hearing scheduled for 16 November, with a provisional three-week trial set to commence on 7 June next year.

The court heard that Ms Djeddou was fatally injured in the bedroom of her family home in Barnet, north London, in the early hours of 8 June.

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Prosecutor Kelly Brocklehurst stated that emergency services were called shortly after midnight, but despite the efforts of medical personnel, the teenager was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.45 am.

A post-mortem examination later confirmed the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the face. The prosecution outlined that the defendant and the victim had known each other for approximately three months and had been in a relationship for around one month before the incident.

Mr Brocklehurst detailed that shortly before the shooting, members of the victim’s family allegedly heard shouting and a scream at around midnight. The court was told that Duncan then allegedly left the premises in haste and subsequently fled the jurisdiction.

Following an international search, the defendant was located in Spain before being extradited to the UK and formally arrested on 26 August. The prosecution confirmed that the firearm allegedly used in the incident has not been recovered.

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Duncan was not required to enter formal pleas during the administrative hearing, and all matters concerning the defendant remain Crown allegations until a formal verdict is reached in court.