A Maida Vale man has denied murder, after being accused of driving a gang of attackers to the murder of an innocent man, in a botched revenge attack.

Scott Marius, 44, of Clifton Villas, Maida Vale, is said to have driven a minibus to east London, where Danny O’Shea was stabbed to death on December 2 last year.

The attack was ordered by top sports agent Christopher Nathaniel, who has made deals with rapper Jay-Z and gold-medallist Usain Bolt, after his business partner was robbed, it is claimed.

Mr O’Shea, who is not believed to have been involved in the robbery, was stabbed in the neck and collapsed outside his mother’s front door in Gill Avenue, Custom House, east London.

Marius, along with seven others, denied murder and conspiracy to commit grevious bodily harm.

Nathaniel, who has worked with anti knife-crime campaigns and had high level meetings with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, entered no plea along with business partner Paul Boadi.

All the defendants were remanded in custody ahead of a three month trial due to start on January 7.