Help find ice rink killers who took away my loving boy

The mother of a teenage boy gunned down at an ice rink will tonight make a TV appeal for information about his killers.

Tracey Smartt-Ford also speaks about the last time she saw her 16-year-old son James, known by his second name of Andre, who was shot at Streatham Ice Rink in February during a party attended by more than 300 people.

She will appear on Crimewatch, which has reconstructed the shooting in an attempt to jog potential witnesses' memories.

Ms Smartt-Ford, 45, said: "Andre was a loving child, a loving boy, very jovial, very funny. He just had a zest for life. Words can't describe how I miss him, there are no words to describe that. You don't expect to bury your children. You don't give them life for it to be so tragically ended.

"The boys responsible for Andre's murder, I don't know how they live knowing what they've done, knowing that they've taken away our son. They've destroyed a family."

Ms Smartt-Ford last saw her son on the Saturday he was killed as he prepared to go to the ice rink. "About 7.45pm he got a phone call and he said he was going skating," she said.

"He went upstairs, had a bath, got dressed - and his way of getting dressed is that he comes into my room where I've got a long length mirror, so he'd straighten up his jacket, making sure he looked like he always looked, immaculate.

"The last thing Andre said to me that evening was, 'See ya later, Trace, I'll be back,' because I was going away the following day. I said to him, 'Remember, Andre, I'm going away tomorrow.' He said, 'I'll be back, Trace, I'll be back later, Mum.' He was so special."

That night Andre was standing at the bottom of stairs leading to the ice rink when he was approached by a black youth wearing dark clothing. At this point two shots were fired at him. He managed to stagger a few metres before collapsing on the ice. He died later in hospital.

Andre was the first of 26 teenagers killed in London this year. Eight were shot, 17 were stabbed and one was beaten to death.

Detective Superintendent Gary Richardson from the Met's Trident team, which investigates gun crime in the black community, said: "It is now more than 10 months since James (Andre) was murdered at a venue where approximately 300 people were present. During this time the investigation has been progressing but it can only go so far without the help of the public. There are people out there who know why he was killed and by who."

Four males aged between 16 and 19 were arrested in connection with the murder and bailed until next month.

Anyone with information, or who was at the event, should call the incident room on 020 8247 4554 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously.

Crimewatch is on BBC1 at 9pm.