A woman agreed to hide a murder weapon for gangsters just hours after it was used in a fatal shooting, a court heard this week.

The Mac 10 sub-machine gun was wrapped in a baby's night dress and shoved in a rucksack when it was dropped off with 21-year-old Shevonne Legister following the killing.

Hours earlier, Larry Malone, 24, had been shot in the head in a spray of bullets as he sat on a sofa at his aunt's home in West Norwood.

A total of rounds were discharged in the shooting in Harpenden Road, Norwood, at 12.46am on September 3, 2009, the Old Bailey heard on Wednesday.

Gang members Lemuel Robinson, 27, and Andrew Cross, 28, allegedly gave the gun to Legister for safekeeping.

Andrew Edis, prosecuting, told the court the gunmen behind the killing knew that ballistic experts would be able to connect the weapon to the bullets at the murder scene.

He said: “You need to be awfully careful with what you do with a gun after a murder.

“If you are the kind of criminal who commits this kind of murder, then you also want to make sure that it is available for use later.

“The allegation against Ms Legister is she played an important, essential, role in putting that plan into effect.”

The court heard that detectives investigating the shooting followed Legister as she took a taxi from her West Norwood home to rendezvous with a white van in nearby Anerley Park at around 5.35pm on September 4.

Police watched from a distance as the rucksack, by now hidden in a JD Sports carrier bag, was handed over to gang member Dino Rouillon, before officers swooped and arrested the duo.

Forensic examiners were unable to find any fingerprints or DNA on the weapon.

Legister of Wolfington Road, West Norwood, denies knowing there was a gun inside the rucksack.

She also denies assisting an offender but admitted possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition in a previous hearing.

The trial continues.

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