Three members of a notorious New Cross gang have today been found guilty of shooting dead a gang rival four years ago.

Nathan Allen collapsed and died from a gunshot wound to his chest in Ludwick Mews on May 3 2010 after being chased through the Milton Court Estate by masked men on bikes.

The 21-year-old had links with the Shower gang and was murdered by members of rival Anti-Shower gang in a trivial row over a motorbike.

An Old Bailey jury today found Curtis Quashie, 22, of Clements House, Pepys Estate, Deptford; Bosun Sode, 21, of Joseph Hardcastle Close, New Cross, and Jamel Green, 20, of St Asaph Road, Brockley, guilty of his murder.

They were also found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence in a separate incident in a shop minutes before the murder.

The victim, who lived in Desmond Street, banged on a door for help and managed to call an ambulance with his dying words, gasping: “Been shot - in my lung - I can't breathe.

“Quick - on Ludwick Mews - I'm in a back garden.”

The line then went dead and by the time emergency services reached Mr Allen it was too late to save him and he was pronounced dead in a 72-year-old’s garden at around 9pm.

The killing was sparked by an earlier incident on the estate when a motorcycle rode dangerously close to a woman and her three-year-old daughter.

She called Quashie, who was with Sode and Green at the time, and said it was Mr Allen or one of his friends which was seen as the trigger.

Detective Inspector Matt Gosling, from the Trident Gang Crime Command, said: "This has been a long and complex investigation and we very much welcome the jury's verdicts today.

"Four years ago these defendants took the decision to arm themselves with a handgun and cycle onto the Milton Court Estate in Deptford in search of rival gang members.

Within minutes they had shot Nathan dead, his last words being recorded as he made a desperate and harrowing phone call to 999.

"Nathan's murder is another sad example of how petty gang rivalries and mindless violence can lead to tragic consequences.

“I hope these defendants, who now face substantial prison sentences, will begin to reflect upon their actions that day and recognise the damage and grief they have caused.

"Finally I'd like to pay tribute to Nathan's family for their continued support. They have acted with dignity and courage throughout this terrible ordeal and have now seen Nathan's killers brought to justice."

Quashie was arrested in May 2010 after ammunition, of the same type used to murder Nathan, was uncovered in his kitchen cupboard.

Phone records showed his contact with Sode and Green and they were subsequently arrested but not charged until 2013 when the case was reviewed.

The complex investigation involved the trio being caught on CCTV in the lead-up to the shooting and an earlier incident at a shop.

A 14-year-old boy, associated with the Shower gang, hid from three young men in a shop just before 9pm and the shopkeeper could see one had a gun underneath his top.

They tried to find the boy but the shopkeeper told them to leave. Moments later Nathan Allen was shot.

Quashie and Green were previously jailed after a raid on a Carphone Warehouse store in Camden where members of staff were tied up while the store was robbed in February 2010.

The three defendants are due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey on May 27.