Pain of killed care worker's mother

Youth guilty of crossfire murder

The mother of murdered Polish care worker Magda Pniewska said her "ray of sunshine" has gone from her life.

In a victim impact statement read to court, Barbara Pniewska, 53, said: "From the day of her death not a day passes when we are not thinking of her and grieving of her loss.

"We still wait for her phone call, her warm smile, her knock on the door. Hope has been overtaken by reality.

"She will never be with us again."

Magda, a nursing care assistant, was shot in the head when she became caught up in a shoot-out between two youths in New Cross, south London, on 2 October last year.

Armel Gnango, 17, was found guilty of her murder.

The death of our Magda has cast a shadow on our reason for living Barbara Pniewska 'Wild West' killing in crossfire

"The death of our Magda has cast a shadow on our reason for living," the impact statement said.

"No mother is able to express the pain in words when confronted with the loss of her child.

"The ray of sunshine that was Magda has gone from our family."

Mrs Pniewska told how she had made sacrifices to ensure her daughter had the best upbringing she could in Communist-era Poland.

She said her daughter brought "great love and respect" from her family home and gave it to those she was looking after in England.

"She was brought up in a very loving, law-abiding family. She knew about respect, to whom it was due, and how to be respectful," she said.

"My family has lost someone that has left a void that can never be filled.

"No joy or happiness will fill the sorrow and emptiness left by Magda's loss.

"We are physically and mentally at breaking point. It is now a completely different life.

"One human being should be a brother to another human being.

"Unfortunately on 2 October someone forgot about that and took my child's life."