A driver serving as a getaway accomplice for a shooter involved in an incident that injured a nine-year-old girl and three men outside a restaurant has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 34 years.
Javon Riley, hailing from Tottenham in north London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey on three counts of attempted murder and one count of causing serious bodily harm to the young girl, who miraculously survived but still carries a bullet in her brain following her inadvertent involvement in a gang-related altercation.
The court proceedings revealed that Riley, captured on the helmet camera of an off-duty police officer on a bicycle, was waiting in a stolen Nissan Duke as the gunman fired six shots. The gunman, having abandoned the motorcycle used in the shooting, quickly entered the getaway car driven by Riley.
Despite claiming he believed it was a mere “smash and grab” incident, Riley, a 33-year-old self-proclaimed robber, was convicted of causing severe harm to the young girl and further found guilty of attempting to murder Mustafa Kiziltan, Kenan Aydogdu, and Nasser Ali. The court highlighted Riley’s connections to the Tottenham Turks gang, involved in a longstanding feud with the Hackney Turks organized crime group to which the victims were linked.
While the shooter remains at large, evidence presented in court indicated Riley’s significant involvement in planning and executing the attack. His role included reconnaissance of the restaurant, identifying targets, and facilitating the escape post-shooting.
CCTV footage captured the intense moments of the shooting, showcasing the gunman’s close proximity to the victims before firing a series of shots in rapid succession. The incident left the girl with a bullet lodged in her head, while the other victims sustained various injuries.
The sentencing judge, Mark Lucraft KC, highlighted the ongoing gang rivalry that has led to a series of violent incidents over the past decade, condemning the cycle of retaliatory violence.
Following the verdict, the mother of the young girl expressed the profound impact of the incident on their family, emphasizing the lasting physical and emotional trauma endured by her daughter. The community was urged to come forward with any information regarding the gunman, with a £15,000 reward offered by the police for leads leading to the suspect’s apprehension, underscoring the importance of justice and closure in the case.