A 33-year-old man has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 34 years for his role in a gangland shooting outside an east London restaurant, which left a nine-year-old girl with a bullet lodged in her brain.
The girl was hit in the head by one of six bullets fired by a man on a Ducati Monster motorbike as she ate ice-cream with her family in the Evin restaurant in Kingsland High Street, Hackney, on 29 May last year.
She was an innocent victim of a bloody rivalry between Turkish gangs from north London. Three men at a nearby table were also injured.
Javon Riley, 33, from Tottenham, north London, was found guilty last month at the Old Bailey of causing grievous harm with intent to the girl and attempting to murder Mustafa Kiziltan, 35, Kenan Aydogdu, 45, and Nasser Ali, 44.
Sentencing Riley on Friday, Judge Lucraft KC said the shooting was part of a dispute between two rival gangs, the Tottenham Turks and the Hackney Turks.
He said: “Over the last 10 years, this ongoing feud has seen a series of tit-for-tat murders and attempted murders in London and overseas.
“In this case, your acts, and those of the others involved, mean that a nine-year-old girl and her family will have to cope with the life-changing injuries she has sustained through the mindless violence of you and others.”
The three men who were shot were said to be affiliated with the Hackney Turks, which had a rivalry with the Tottenham Turks, with whom Riley had links, jurors had heard.
The gunman remains at large but prosecutors said Riley had played a “key role” before, during and after the shooting.
Riley carried out reconnaissance of the restaurant before the attack, scouted for potential targets and drove the gunman away in a stolen car, which was later burned out.
The nine-year-old girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, spent three months in hospital and will suffer lifelong physical and cognitive problems as the bullet remains lodged in her brain.
The three male victims received gunshot wounds to the arm, leg and thigh.
A victim impact statement from the girl’s mother, read to the court by the judge on Friday, said the family had moved to the UK to seek a “brighter future” for their daughter, who loved gymnastics and playing the guitar.
The statement said: “Our daughter’s joyful spirit remains, but it is now wrapped in layers of frustration and silent pain. She watches her friends do what she cannot and she carries it all inside with quiet strength.
“This tragedy did not just change our daughter’s life, it broke something in us as a family. Every time we see her struggle, we ask ourselves why we came here and what we could have done differently. The guilt and helplessness are unbearable. For us, the trauma is relentless.
“We live with constant fear about the future, unsure of how much more she will lose as she grows. We grieve for the dreams we once had for her: dreams of music, sport and a carefree childhood, all replaced by therapy sessions, hospital appointments and adaptions for survival.”
She said the family was doing everything possible to show the girl that her life was “still full of possibilities” and to “make her smile”. “But the mental and emotional trauma we carry every day is heavy, a constant fear for her future and a constant grief for the life she lost and the life we imagined as a family,” she added.
During a three-week trial, Riley was asked to identify the “third party” who had recruited him for about £40,000. He refused, citing fear for his life and for his family.
Scotland Yard has offered up to £15,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the person who fired the shots.
DCI Joanna Yorke, who led the investigation, said: “The dangerous man responsible for pulling the trigger is walking free, and it is imperative we find him. People out there know what happened and are choosing to stay quiet. We understand that you may be worried about talking to us, but it is vital we hear from anyone who can assist this investigation.
“Please reconsider your decision to stay silent and share what you know. Anything you say will be treated with the utmost care and confidentiality and you will be playing a huge part in securing justice for a young girl and her family.”
