A Gravesend man has denied his role in an alleged murder plot which led to the shooting of equal rights campaigner Sasha Johnson.

Prince Dixon, 25, from Gravesend, is one of four men charged after mother of two Ms Johnson was shot in the head at a house party in Peckham, south London, early on Sunday May 23.

The 27-year-old was left in a “critical” condition after the incident at the silent disco for a 30th birthday in the garden of a house on Consort Road.

Dixon is charged with conspiracy to murder alongside Troy Reid, 20 of Southwark, Cameron Deriggs, 18, of Lewisham, and Devonte Brown, 19, of Southwark.

The charge says they conspired together and with others unknown to murder “a person”.

Police have said previously they do not believe Ms Johnson was the intended victim of the shooting.

The defendants are also charged with possession of a handgun and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

Today they appeared at the Old Bailey by video link from Belmarsh prison, speaking to confirm their names and plead not guilty to the charges.

Mr Justice Sweeney, who joined the hearing remotely from Manchester Crown Court, confirmed the six-week trial would start on March 7 next year.

He set a pre-trial hearing for February 21 next year, and the defendants were remanded in custody.

Ms Johnson is a founding member of the Taking The Initiative Party and had been a prominent figure in the Black Lives Matter movement last summer.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said her condition is now “serious but stable” as she continues to receive treatment in hospital.