The wheelwoman

Four people have been jailed for more than 60 years in connection with a shooting in Leyton in 2017 where two people were shot, having been caught in the cross-fire.

This sentencing follows a complex three-year investigation by detectives, who were able to piece together a detailed sequence of events to identify, arrest and convict five men and one woman.

A man and a woman, who were among the six people convicted, were sentenced on Friday 5 November at Snaresbrook Crown Court, having been found guilty in August 2020, following a four week trial. They were:

Shearine Maria Thompson, 42 , of Lordship Lane, Tottenham who was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of firearms with intent to endanger life, for her role as a getaway driver.

Sinan Ozger, 33, of Craven Park Road, Tottenham was sentenced to 21 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of firearms with intent to endanger life, surrounding the use of a Makarov self-loading pistol and a Tokarev self-loading pistol.

Two men, who had been previously been sentenced on Thursday, 16 September, were found guilty at the same court on Friday, 12 March, following a four week trial. They were:

Michael Lawrence, 24,  of Richard Bradley Way, Tipton, was sentenced to 15 years and six months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of firearms with intent to endanger life. This related to the possession and use of an Uzi sub-machine pistol and a Sig Sauer self-loading pistol.

Kamal Lorren Parrish, 30, of Malvern Terrace, Enfield, was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of firearms with intent to endanger life. This related to the possession and use of an Uzi sub-machine pistol and a Sig Sauer self-loading pistol.

The following will be sentenced on Thursday, 24 February 2022:

Haramein Jelani Mohammed, 35,  of Pedro Street, Hackney was found guilty on Friday, 12 March of GBH with intent and possession of firearms with intent to endanger life, also relating to the possession and use of an Uzi sub-machine pistol and a Sig Sauer self-loading pistol.

On 27 May 2020, Jacob Joseph Maitland, 34 (02.02.87) of Gloucester Road, Tottenham pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, surrounding the use of a Tokarev self-loading pistol.

The court heard the shooting took place shortly after 05:00hrs on Saturday, 28 October 2017, where a private function with around 300 people in attendance was taking place in a rented hall in Rigg Approach, Leyton. Two groups of gunmen began shooting at each other and at least 34 rounds from six firearms were discharged.

Officers, including firearms officers, attended the scene and discovered a man in his 40s with a gunshot wound to his left leg. A female victim in her 20s presented herself to an east London hospital with a gunshot wound to her chest. Both were innocent bystanders, who were fortunate to receive no long term ill effects from the gunshot injuries they received.

An investigation was launched by detectives from Trident within the Met’s Specialist Crime North.

High quality CCTV on the industrial estate where the events unfolded were key to the investigation. The team were able to put together a detailed sequence of events which ultimately led to the conviction of the six people involved in the shooting.

It was established the catalyst for the shooting was an ongoing dispute between Maitland and Parrish.

The court went on to hear how at least eight rounds were fired from an Uzi sub-machine gun inside the hall, other firearms were also discharged within the hall. It was here the bullets struck both victims.

The shooting led to an abrupt end to the party and an exodus of partygoers fled into the street.

CCTV captured shots continuing to being fired in the street by Lawrence who fired a further ten shots using the Uzi sub machine pistol. Parrish fired two rounds from a Sig Sauer firearm, Maitland fired three shots from a Makarov self-loading pistol and Ozger fired five rounds from a Tokarev self-loading pistol.

Through the use of CCTV, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and phone data analysis, officers identified the six defendants’ involvement in the shooting.

On 14 May 2018, officers arrested Parrish and four days later, following the execution of search warrants, officers arrested Mohammed, Ozger and Ekwubiri at their home addresses. Officers arrested Lawrence a short while later. Thompson was identified and interviewed while in prison for another matter in July 2018.

Clothing seized from the addresses appeared identical to that worn by the offenders on the night of the shooting.

On 15 July 2019 Thompson, Ozger, Maitland were charged with conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent against Mohammed, Parrish and Lawrence. The same charges were brought against Mohammed, Parrish and Lawrence on a reciprocal basis.

Since the shooting, officers from Specialist Crime have seized three of the firearms used, during proactive operations.

Detective Inspector Matthew Webb, Senior Investigating Officer for the investigation, said: “The CCTV from this offence, plays like a scene from a movie – unfortunately though, this was a real-life event that took place on our streets in London and it was by sheer luck that no further significant injuries were caused.

“The effect the criminal use of firearms has in our communities is not lost on us and I hope the sentences imposed send a strong message to those involved in firearms criminality. Your actions are reprehensible and we will seek to bring you to justice.

“This investigation has taken place over a number of years and demonstrates the commitment the Met has to holding those involved in the commission of violent offending to account. I would like to thank my investigation team, Crown Prosecution Team and Prosecuting Counsel for their support during the course of this complex investigation and for making London safer.

“The Met is committed to reducing violent crime. However, we also rely on our communities to help us and I would urge anyone with information about someone who may be carrying a weapon to contact police immediately whether in person or anonymously.”