THE jury are out in the trial of murdered Tottenham teenager Abdulkarim Boudiaf.

The 18-year-old, of Plevna Crescent, south Tottenham, was gunned down outside the Elmhurst pub on March 14, 2009, where he had been enjoying an evening out with friends.

Throughout the two-and-a-half week trial, the Crown Prosecution offered no motive for the cold-blooded killing. In evidence, witnesses told the Old Bailey that it could have been a case of mistaken identity.

Abdulkarim, affectionately referred to as Karim by friends, was shot in the abdomen by a gunman less than three feet away. This was followed by a second shot in his neck at a distance of just a few inches, firearms experts told the court. A 9mm automatic handgun was used and discarded near the scene.

Fellow Tottenham resident Asher Vance, 24, of South Grove, is accused of murder with up to three eyewitnesses naming him as the gunman.

Jack Jackson, of St Loys Road, Tottenham, is charged with assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice.

Following the shooting, phone records show that Vance and Jackson met up as Vance made a call using his SIM card in a phone handset that belonged to his friend.

But Jackson claimed Vance had arrived before the time of the shooting and had used the handset only because Vance's own phone was dead. Jackson also told the court that Vance left shortly after stating he was going down the road.

The film and history student rejected the idea that he had provided Vance with a false alibi or protecting him out of loyalty.

Following the night of the shooting, the court heard the pair travelled to the University of Sussex, in Brighton.

Eyewitnesses at the university told police that they did not see Jackson with another man adding he appeared to be a keeping a low profile.

But days later, Haringey detectives visited the student flat and found Vance in the room. The pair were both arrested.

Police also found evidence on Jackson's computer which showed internet articles about the killing on the Haringey Independent website had been accessed.

CCTV footage shown in court, proved Vance had been drinking at the Elmhurst pub for most of the day and was seen leaving the venue just a short time before the shooting. The clothes he was wearing on the day of the shooting have not been recovered, Judge Stephen Kramer QC said.

The court also heard that Vance made a number of phonecalls following the shooting after which, a phones expert said, it was switched off until the following morning.

Summing up on Wednesday, Judge Kramer told jurors: "You could say he was maintaining radio silence. I leave it to you as to what conclusions you may draw from that."

He urged the jury to put all of the evidence "into the scales", including Vance's lack of criminal history and a number of glowing testimonies describing him as an articulate, loving and gentle person. A crime of this level of violence would be completely out of character, they said in court.

Judge Kramer also told jurors they had the option to return a verdict of manslaughter if they agreed Vance was the gunman but had committed the shooting but was influenced by the amount of alcohol he had been drinking.

Vance, a former Highgate Wood school pupil, chose to not give evidence but Michael Wolkind QC, defending him, told the court his client simply was not the gunman and accused the witnesses of lying.

Hackney teenager Charlie Davis, 18, of Browning House, Shakespeare Walk, had charges of assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice dismissed after his lawyers later successfully appealed to have the charges thrown.

The jury are expected to return a verdict over the coming week.