Gunman jailed for dressing as a delivery driver brandishing a shotgun to attack his victim at home

A gunman dressed as a delivery driver who lunged at an East Dulwich man at home with his young daughter has been jailed for six years.

Terrifying door cam footage of the incident showed Vicente Forde, 32, of Gavestone Road, Greenwich, dressed as an Amazon delivery driver brandishing a shotgun.

Forde pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence at Croydon Crown Court on Monday, June 7, and was sentenced at the same court yesterday.

Forde was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison for possession of prohibited firearm.

The three years and six months sentence handed down for possession of a firearm by a person prohibited and the four year sentence for possession of a firearm to cause fear of violence will run concurrently.

At 9.30am on Monday, July 13, 2020, Forde attended an address in Crystal Palace Road.

Forde was dressed as a delivery driver, wearing a hi-vis jacket and holding an empty Amazon cardboard box.

He knocked on the door of the address and waited briefly with the ‘package’.

When he heard the door opening, he put the package down and retrieved a shotgun that he had concealed inside his jacket and aimed it towards the door.

The victim, who had been at home with his young daughter and was on the phone to a friend at the time, reacted by grabbing hold of the gun and became engaged in a furious struggle with Forde as he fought to disarm the weapon from him.

The victim described hearing Forde shouting at him to let go of the gun or he would be stabbed.

Still he held on as Forde kicked and punched him, screaming out for help, before managing to prise the weapon away from him and throw it under a nearby car.

A number of members of the public, including some men who were doing building work nearby, came to the victim’s aid and restrained Forde.

Police received calls of a man armed with a firearm and raced to the scene, where Forde was detained.

The firearm was seized and found to be viable and loaded with two live cartridges.

Forde was arrested and taken into custody, while the victim was taken to a south London hospital for treatment for bruising and a broken nose.

Forde was later charged and remanded.

Detective Constable Imran Hansraj, of the Specialist Crime Command, said: “Vicente Forde’s sentencing has removed him from the streets for a substantial amount of time, and I’ve no doubt that London will be all the safer for it.

“The victim had no idea what was about to unfold when he saw what he thought was a delivery man bringing a parcel to his address.

“He had been home with his young daughter and was going about his business as usual when he was thrust into an incredibly frightening ordeal in which he fought for his life.

“His life was turned upside down in a split second by Forde’s actions, which were wicked and cowardly in the extreme.

“He was disguised and armed with a lethal weapon but the victim displayed incredibly bravery to disarm him.

“He was lucky that a number of members of the public took heed of his cries for help and came to his aid. They too deserve enormous recognition.”

Andrew Caird, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This was a completely unprovoked attack on an innocent householder. The victim simply opened his front door to retrieve what he thought was a delivery before he was aggressively set upon by a stranger.

“The prosecution case included strong witness testimony and video footage from a doorbell camera which showed much of the incident and left Forde with little choice but to admit his violent actions.

“Given that the shotgun had been loaded, it is incredibly lucky that nobody was fatally injured.

“Firearms are dangerous and the CPS will work with the police to catch and prosecute those who commit firearm offences.”