A THUG involved in a botched gang hit which led to a young girl being shot in the head has been jailed for life.
Javon Riley, 33, was the getaway driver for a gunman who shot the innocent nine-year-old girl in the head while she was eating with her family inside a Turkish restaurant in Dalston, east London, last May.
PAJavon Riley, 33, played a ‘key role in orchestrating and implementing a plan intended to end the lives of rival members of an organised crime network’[/caption]
PAA gunman riding on a motorbike fired six shots into a Turkish restaurant, in an attempt to kill rival gang members[/caption]
PAJavon Riley had driven a stolen Nissan Juke past the restaurant multiple times to make sure that the three men targeted were there, and later picked up the gunman[/caption]
The girl was caught in the crossfire as six shots were fired in two seconds by the gunman, who was on a Ducati Monster motorbike, leaving her with “physical and cognitive difficulties for the rest of her life”.
Riley was found guilty last month of attempting to murder three men and causing grievous bodily harm to the girl after he “played a key role in orchestrating and implementing a plan intended to end the lives of rival members of an organised crime network”.
Today, he was sentenced at the Old Bailey to life in prison with a minimum term of 34 years.
Police are continuing to offer a £15,000 reward for information that leads to the capture of the gunman, who has been on the run since the horrific shooting.
During Riley’s trial, the Old Bailey heard the horror was a “planned assassination of members of a rival gang by Mr Riley and others”.
A gruesome rivalry between two rival groups in London known as the Tottenham Turks and the Hackney Turks had been mounting for over a decade.
At Riley’s sentencing today, Judge Mark Lucraft KC said the gang rivalry had seen a number of “tit for tat” murders and attempted murders in London and overseas over the past 10 years.
In the months leading up to the shooting, Riley sat in the bar opposite Evin restaurant sipping on a pina colada as he studied traffic flow in the area.
On May 29, 2024, he was captured driving from North London in a stolen car to pick up the gunman.
He then cruised past the restaurant several times to ensure his rivals from the Hackney Turks were inside.
As the girl innocently tucked into some ice cream, the gunman was filmed approaching the building before pulling his gun out.
He hit the girl in the head and blasted his enemies Mustafa Kiziltan, 35, Kenan Aydogdu, 45, and Nasser Ali, 44.
The girl was rushed to hospital where she underwent several intensive operations.
Several parts of her skull had to be removed to ease swelling to her brain and replaced with a titanium plate.
PAA £15,000 reward remains for any information that leads to the capture of the gunman[/caption]
Paul EdwardsThe scenes outside the restaurant following the shooting[/caption]
She had to stay in hospital for three months before being allowed to return home.
While the youngster has made “a relatively good recovery”, she will struggle physically and mentally for the rest of her life.
During Riley’s three-week trial, he refused to identify the “third party” who had recruited him for around £40,000.
When was asked to name them, he declined, citing fear for his life and that of his family.
Judge’s sentencing remarks to Riley
Judge Mark Lucraft, KC, told Riley: “This was clearly a planned attack on members of a rival gang by you and others, members of or connected to the Tottenham Turks.
“At another table inside the restaurant was sat a nine-year-old girl. She was there with her family enjoying a dinner.
“This shooting was part of an ongoing dispute between two rival groups in London, the Tottenham Turks and the Hackney Turks.
“Over the last 10 years the ongoing feud has seen a series of murders and attempted tit for tat murders in London and overseas.
“A nine-year-old girl and her family will have to cope with the injuries sustained by the mindless violence of you and others.
“In evidence to the jury you took some pride in being an effective and efficient robber avoiding detection by police, and a drug dealer.
“Whilst I am not sentencing you for those matters, your admission to that offending is clearly relevant to sentence.
“You claimed you agreed to take place in a robbery rather than a shooting.. You said you got involved and would make serious financial gain.
“In my judgement there was significant planning in this attack.”
While he admitted conducting reconnaissance, spotting targets and picking up the gunman, Riley 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.”
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.
Talking about her daughter’s struggles following the shooting, the young girl’s mum said: “In a single moment, the future we had imagined for our daughter was torn away.
“She was once an energetic, adventurous child — everything that celebrated movement, energy, and life.
“Now, weakness on her left side means she can only watch from the sidelines, living with a titanium plate in her skull and a bullet still in her brain.
“As parents, we are shattered — emotionally, physically, mentally, and financially. Each day brings new challenges, from her slower growth on one side to the emotional and mental scars that cannot be seen.
“The world we once believed was safe for our child now feels frightening and uncertain. This was not just an accident — even if our daughter was not the intended target, those responsible were still attempting to take lives. It is brutal and inhumane.
“We live with this pain every day, knowing nothing will ever be the same for our family.”
FAMILY HAVE TO ‘FIGHT EVERY DAY’ FOR DAUGHTER’S SURVIVAL
In a passionate victim impact statement, the mum added: “When my husband and I decided to move to the UK our only aim was to create a brighter future for our daughter, a life of stability and safety.
“We came here through proper legal channels on student visas then a work visa. We invested over £40,000 in visas. We are not entitled to any benefits due to our immigration status.
“We believed by working hard we could manage our responsibilities like any other family.
“That hope was brutally shattered when this horrifying incident occurred.
“What we expected to be a new beginning turned into a nightmare.”
She described how her once “healthy, active and full of life” daughter who loved music, gymnastics and playing sports could no longer enjoy those activities.
The mum continued: “Our visas are tied to employment and we cannot reduce our working hours, we rely on both incomes to survive.
“Despite working and paying taxes the financial pressure is crushing- the cost of adaptation, one on one supervision for after school actives.
“Recovery chances are best in the first few years but NHS sessions are limited and delayed by waiting lists. NHS services are free but we pay an immigration health surcharge whilst applying for visas.
“We have to constantly fight for resources she needs.”
She said they were scared about losing a work visa and having to move back to a country with less resources for their daughter, saying: “We came here to give our daughter a better life, instead we now fight every day for her survival, dignity and a small piece of happiness.”
The judge said he would consider on a future date whether to make an order to deprive Riley of his assets to pay compensation to the family.
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