A father-of-four was gunned down in what was “effectively an execution killing” in “a case of mistaken identity”, a jury has been told.

Dean Edwards, 43, suffered “catastrophic injuries” after being shot once through the back of the head in as he walked through Betts Park in Penge, south-east London, in the early hours of July 12 2020.

Taylor Purdy, 26, of Dulwich, south-east London, denies murder.

Prosecutor Julian Evans QC told the Old Bailey: “Given the circumstances in which Dean Edwards met his death – shot once to the back of his head as he walked through Betts Park on his own, late at night – there can be no doubt, say the prosecution, that he was murdered.

“The shooting involved the deliberate, targeted discharge of a firearm at an unarmed man from behind. It was effectively an execution killing.”

It appears the shooting “was not the result of him being specifically targeted”, Mr Evans said.

He added: “Tragically, it would appear that Mr Edwards was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“As to the shooting itself, it may be that it was a case of mistaken identity. In other words, the gunman, waiting in Betts Park, meant to shoot someone that he mistook Dean Edwards for.

“Alternatively, it may be that the shooting was motivated by the need to make some sort of ‘statement’ in the Penge area and that it did not matter who got shot.

“Either way, the shooting appears to have taken place within the context of other issues, other rivalries or conflicts, none of which concerned Dean Edwards.”

Mr Edwards had been at a pub and was walking alone towards Anerley Station when he was shot.

The jury was told that “in all likelihood” he was shot with a self-loading pistol.

A 9mm cartridge case was found close to the body just off a path, and a fired 9mm bullet was retrieved during the post-mortem examination.

Mr Evans said: “In all likelihood, the man who shot him – the gunman – must have been lying in wait somewhere inside Betts Park.

“From the evidence, it would appear that the gunman must have seen Dean Edwards and then approached him from behind before shooting him. He did so, apparently, without any warning.

“It would appear that Dean Edwards was completely oblivious to the presence of the gunman and to the threat that man posed. Mr Edwards had no opportunity to react.”

The jury was told that DNA evidence links Purdy to a cigarette butt found in a residential street near Betts Park, and CCTV footage in the local area was recovered.

The prosecution say Purdy was the gunman.

They say he is a man shown in CCTV footage taken near the park before and after the killing.

During his police interview Purdy denied any involvement in the shooting, and denied being the man on CCTV in the vicinity of Betts Park and the surrounding area on the night of July 11 and into the early hours of the following day.

Purdy said he did not know Mr Edwards and he was not in Betts Park on the night of the murder. He says he may have been out with friends that night in a car.

He accepted that he smoked cigarettes but not every day.

He said he did not know why a cigarette butt bearing his DNA had been found in the area.

Purdy denied any involvement in the murder and said he had no issue with anyone from the Penge area.