The Bell Pub Shootings: 1990s Gangland Murders in South London

Sinister South

In the early 1990s, South London was a hotspot for gangland violence, with organised crime families like the Arifs and Brindells locked in a deadly power struggle. In this episode, we explore the interconnected murders of Arma Abdullah, David Brindell, and Stanley Silk – killings that reveal a chilling web of retribution, turf wars, and community silence.
From a targeted hit in a Woolworth betting shop to a brutal double shooting at the Bell Pub, these unsolved crimes shed light on the criminal underworld operating in plain sight and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire. We examine gang rivalries, police failures, the roots of Operation Trident, and how entire communities were impacted by fear and distrust.
(Also includes a brief ode to spiderweb garden furniture and why we’re still not over our teenage goth phases.)

Sources include:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/gangland-hitman-came-from-dublin-1602253.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/shooting-fuels-gangland-war-threat-1602083.html https://vlex.co.uk/vid/brindle-v-commissioner-of-804419569 http://www.unsolved-murders.co.uk/murder-content.php?key=910&termRef=Ahmet%20Abdullah http://www.unsolved-murders.co.uk/murder-content.php?key=1244&termRef=Stanley%20Silk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC7soTxHxu0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AouY8VfK6Yk https://www.tiktok.com/@theenquirer8/video/7282135366461574432 https://www.pond5.com/stock-images/photos/item/219170906-floral-tribute-outside-bell-pub-walworth-london-where-david https://www.reddit.com/r/crime_documentaries/comments/uv0s1n/unsolved_1991_david_brindle_and_stanley_silk/?rdt=51525&force_seo=1 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/shooting-fuels-gangland-war-threat-1602083.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arifs_(gang)

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Produced and hosted by Hannah Williams & Rachel Baines
Mixed & edited by Purple Waves Sound (A.K.A Will)