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A designated lookout and getaway driver was sentenced to life imprisonment today, with a minimum of 34 years, for his involvement in a gang-related shooting outside an east London restaurant, resulting in a nine-year-old girl having a bullet lodged in her brain.
The girl was struck in the head by one of six bullets discharged by a man on a motorcycle as she sat with her family at the Evin Restaurant on Kingsland High Street, Hackney, on May 29 of last year.
She was an innocent victim of a bloody rivalry between Turkish gangs of north London. Three men at a nearby table were also injured.
Javon Riley, 33, hailing from Tottenham, North London, was convicted at the Old Bailey for causing grievous harm with intent to the girl and for the attempted murder of Mustafa Kiziltan, 35, Kenan Aydogdu, 45, and Nasser Ali, 44.
During sentencing, Judge Mark Lucraft KC mentioned the gang rivalry had led to numerous ‘tit for tat’ murders and attempted murders in London and abroad over the past decade.
The three men who were shot were reportedly associated with the Hackney Turks organized crime group, which had a conflict with the Tottenham Turks, with whom Riley was connected, as the jury was informed.
The gunman is at large but prosecutors said Riley had played a ‘key role’ before, during and after the shooting.
Javon Riley, 33, was jailed for at least 34 years for his role in the Hackney gangland shooting
The three targeted men run for cover as a gunman opens fire on the restaurant in May last year
Forensic officers conducting a search outside the restaurant after the shooting in May 2024
Riley conducted surveillance of the restaurant prior to the incident, identified potential targets, and drove the shooter away in a stolen vehicle, which was later set ablaze.
The nine-year-old girl spent three months in hospital and will suffer with 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.
Scotland Yard has offered up to £15,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the person who fired the shots.
During a three-week trial, Riley was asked to identify the ‘third party’ who had recruited him for around £40,000.
He refused, citing fear for his life and that of his family.
The defendant admitted conducting reconnaissance, spotting targets and picking up the gunman, but claimed he believed it was a ‘smash-and-grab’ robbery.
He later admitted the person who used the gun had said to him: ‘Shots have been fired. I need to get out of here.’
A CCTV image from the Met Police of the motorcyclist wanted in connection with the shooting
Footage shows the suspected gunman riding a stolen Ducati Monster motorbike at the time
CCTV images of the suspected gunman, who has never been traced, riding along the road
The court heard Jamaica-born Riley had a string of convictions dating back to 2008 including for possession of cannabis and cocaine, driving offences and having an offensive weapon and a blade in his car.
He also admitted involvement in car theft, drug dealing and robberies, but said he had never been caught for those offences.
Police recordings revealed Riley’s links to the Tottenham Turks, including talks about Izzet Eren, who was shot in Moldova on July 10 last year in what was believed to be a revenge attack.
