Girl, 9, shot amid ‘planned assassination' at east London restaurant, court hears

The Guardian

6 days ago

A nine-year-girl was shot in the head while eating inside a Turkish restaurant with her family when a gunman on a motorbike opened fire during 'a planned assassination' of rival gang members, a court has heard. The girl, who cannot be named, will suffer 'physical and cognitive difficulties throughout her life' after a bullet lodged in her brain, the Old Bailey heard.
A stray bullet 'tragically struck' the girl when the gunman on a Ducati Monster fired six shots in two seconds at a group sitting on a table outside Evin restaurant in Dalston, east London, on the evening of 29 May 2024.
The gunman has not been apprehended. Javon Riley, 33, is on trial at the Old Bailey, where he has pleaded not guilty to four charges of attempted murder and an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent against the girl, who cannot be named because of her age.
The prosecutor, James Mulholland KC, said the shooting was 'a planned assassination of members of a rival gang by Mr Riley and others'.
In his opening note, he said: 'The shooting appears to have been part of an ongoing dispute between two rival groups in London known as the Tottenham Turks and the Hackney Turks, also known as the Bombacilars, which translates to the Bombers, although the immediate reason for it was unknown. 'These two gangs have had an intense rivalry for well over a decade which has involved the use of extreme violence towards one another during that period and it is the prosecution case that what was intended was the murder of whomever was targeted.' Three men – Mustafa Kiziltan, Kenan Aydogdu and Nasser Ali – were shot in various parts of their bodies while sitting with others on a pavement table outside the busy restaurant. Those seated outside Evin had affiliations towards the Hackney Turks and the ones who ordered the shooting were from the Tottenham Turks, the prosecutor said. 'Some of the bullets missed the men. One of these tragically struck a nine-year-old girl in the head and lodged in her brain. She had been sitting at a table inside the restaurant with other members of her family,' he added. The men have made 'reasonable' recoveries but the impact upon the girl has been 'far greater', Mulholland said. 'The first of several intensive operations upon her took place at Great Ormond Street hospital the day after the shooting to seek to address the damage caused by the bullet. Sections of her skull were removed to relieve swelling to the brain and these have since been replaced with a titanium plate,' he said.
'She was in hospital for three months before being allowed to return home. Although she has made a relatively good recovery, she will continue to have physical and cognitive difficulties throughout her life.'
The prosecutor said examination of CCTV footage at the restaurant shows that the first of the six shots struck the girl on the right side of her head, causing her to fall to the floor.
The prosecutor said Riley was 'vital in the carrying out of the plan to kill' and played a 'key role' before, during and after the shooting. Riley allegedly carried out extensive reconnaissance, transported the gunman from the scene and was involved in the disposal of the firearm which he may also have provided. The weapon was never found.
Riley was the subject of police surveillance after the shooting and covert recordings allegedly show he had access to a firearm and was 'intimately aware' of what happened on 29 May 2024. During a conversation on 3 August 2024, Riley said 'his man had 'missed', and that the result had been the shooting of a young girl', Mulholland said.
The prosecutor said Riley also had discussions referring to a man called Izzet Eren, who was linked to the Tottenham Turks and was shot in Moldova on 10 July 2024 in what was believed to be a revenge attack.
Mulholland told the jury: 'You will hear in conversations covertly recorded in a car used by Javon Riley some time after the shooting that, although he was not a member of the Tottenham Turks, he clearly knew of them and was linked to them and that they were behind the shooting.'
The court heard that after the shooting, the gunman rode the motorbike to a nearby street where Riley was waiting in a stolen Nissan Juke displaying false plates. They then 'calmly' headed to north London before transferring into Riley's Range Rover.
Riley, who denies all charges, was arrested last August.
The trial continues.