Zafer Eran
Zafer Eren was gunned down as years of gangland violence across north London came to a violent head

A man has been cleared of hiring a hitman nicknamed "Freddy Krueger" to gun down Turkish mafia boss Zafer Eren on his front doorstep.

Beytullah Gunduz wept after being acquitted of getting killer Jamie Marsh-Smith to shoot the head of the Tottenham Turks -- also known as the Tottenham Boys -- outside his luxury home in Southgate, north London, in April 2013.

Appearing at the Old Bailey, Gunduz was today cleared of conspiracy to murder after telling the jury he had nothing to do with the contract killing.

Marsh-Smith, 23, and his getaway driver Samuel Zerei, 21, were jailed for life for the murder in July.

Sentencing Marsh-Smith and Zerei, judge John Bevan QC called for an end to the "medieval turf" war between Turkish gangs in north London, battling for control of a large chunk of London's heroin trade.

Timeline - wave of north London shootings

August 2007 - Yusuf Arslan, then 17, is shot in Tottenham but survives

January 2009 - Kemal Armagan beaten up in a nightclub in Finsbury Park, north London, by Tottenham Turks

22 March, 2009 - Ahmet Paytak shot dead in a shop allegedly run by a Tottenham Turk member

2 October, 2009 - Oktay Erbasli, a Tottenham Turk member, shot and killed while driving a car hired by Kemal Eren

5 October, 2009 - Cem Duzgun, a Hackney Turk member, shot dead

15 August, 2010 - Attempt on life of Kenan Aydogdu

1 February, 2012 - Ali Armagan shot dead in Haringey, north London

1 December, 2012 - Kemal Eren shot and seriously injured in Elbistan, Turkey

18 April, 2013 - Zafer Eren shot dead in Enfield, north London.

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