Latest news with #Roberts-Emmanuel
The Independent
04-04-2025
- The Independent
Teenage ‘super scooter' rider jailed for fatal shooting outside nightclub
A teenager who fatally shot a man in the back of the neck outside a nightclub after travelling there on a high-powered 'super scooter' has been locked up for life. Tyler Roberts-Emmanuel, 19, killed 30-year-old Shaquille Graham near Silks in Catford, south-east London, in the early hours of last March 10, the Old Bailey had heard. On Friday, Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC jailed him for life with a minimum term of 28 years for the murder. The judge noted the defendant was a 'confident and outgoing person' and had run his own drug-dealing business selling cannabis for two years. The degree of 'planning and premeditation' before the murder and his attempts to conceal his involvement were aggravating factors in the case, the judge said. She told Roberts-Emmanuel: 'There was no link between you and Shaquille Graham and therefore it is likely you were acting under the direction of others. 'As a teenager you have the capacity to change, you are not fully developed. You have not attained full maturity, you have many positive qualities. 'As you continue to mature, perhaps you may come to realise the full extent of the harm you have caused to others.' The judge said the murder was committed in Catford town centre with many people present who were 'shocked' by what happened. Natasha Barrow, the victim's mother, described the 'devastation' of losing her only son. She said: 'The heinous and cowardly way he was taken away from us adds poisonous salt to an irreparable wound.' His father, Norman Harris, said his son was taken away in a 'senseless act of violence' 'We gave him life and no one else had the right to take it and him away from us,' he said. The court had heard how the defendant carried out a 'dummy run' hours before setting off from his grandmother's address in Peckham on a scooter to murder Mr Graham, jurors were told. Prosecutor Joel Smith KC had said: 'When he arrived, he circled the area, apparently looking for a target. He lay in wait opposite the club. Twenty minutes later, he saw Mr Graham and moved. 'He rode directly to Mr Graham, and stopped a few paces away. He got off the scooter, walked to Mr Graham and without pause, shot him through the throat. 'Mr Graham never stood a chance. He collapsed and died immediately.' The 'super scooter' used by the gunman was a Kaabo Wolf Warrior 11, which was the type the defendant had been trying to buy the month before, the court was told. Although the murder weapon was not recovered, the bullet and casing were said to be typical of a Carlos Arms self-loading pistol. Days before the shooting, the defendant was caught on CCTV carrying a handgun consistent with the same gun thought to have been used near his grandmother's address, jurors were told. Roberts-Emmanuel had denied murder, claiming that a relative, who he only named as 'X', was using the same address as him in Peckham. In finding Roberts-Emmanuel, of no fixed address, guilty of murder, the jury had concluded he 'fabricated' Mr X in an attempt to tailor a defence around the evidence, Judge Plaschkes said. The court was told the defendant had a 'difficult upbringing' and previous convictions for possession of cannabis and driving while unfit. Mitigating, James Scobie KC said Roberts-Emmanuel lived in a 'hopeless twilight zone' and had to fend for himself as a child.
BBC News
04-04-2025
- BBC News
Teenager given life sentence over murder of Shaquille Graham
A 19-year-old has been handed a life sentence for the "ruthless" murder of a man he shot at point-blank range outside a south London Roberts-Emmanuel shot Shaquille Graham, 30, in Catford on 10 March 2024, after lying in wait for him for 20 minutes outside the venue. He was convicted following a four week trial at the Old Bailey. However, the motive for the attack remained a mystery, the court was told. At the Old Bailey on Friday, Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC sentenced Roberts-Emmanuel to a life sentence with a minimum term of 28 years. The trial heard how he had left his grandmother's house in Linden Grove, Peckham, in the early hours of 10 March and driven on a high-powered scooter heading for Catford where he shot Mr Graham as he left the Plaschkes said the atmosphere outside the nightclub had been "happy" and the "night had been calm"."What happened next was unexpected and shocked all those present at the scene," she said."Shaquille Graham was approached from behind and shot once at point blank range with the gun angled so the bullet entered his neck and travelled into his skull."Mr Graham was killed instantly and the gunman disappeared, the court shooting was "targeted, premeditated and ruthlessly executed", Judge Plaschkes said."One of the shocking features of this case is that you were only 18 years old when you fired that gun," she added. 'Irreparable wound' Mr Graham's mother and father read an impact statement to the Barrow described the "devastation" Mr Graham's death had caused to his family."The heinous and cowardly way he was taken away from us adds poisonous salt to an irreparable wound," she said."He was my only son, my everything."Norman Harris described how his son had been tragically taken away in a "senseless act of violence" and how during the trial the family had to relive in detail the events surrounding the "assassination" of their beloved son."We gave him life and no-one else had the right to take it and him away from us," he said. During the trial, the jury heard there were key strands of evidence that tied Roberts-Emmanuel to the scooter used by the gunman to travel to and from the scene was a Kaboo Wolf Warrior 11 - a model that the defendant had been trying to buy the month address the gunman used as a base was covered by CCTV - it showed that the defendant had made a "dummy run" to the Catford nightclub on his scooter earlier on the night of the mitigation James Scobie KC said that the defendant had lived in a "hopeless twilight zone" in which he had to fend for himself as a child."Tyler Roberts-Emmanuel was used by those closest to him," Mr Scobie said. "It's no comfort for anybody, but it is a fact."
The Independent
03-03-2025
- The Independent
Teenage ‘super scooter' rider guilty of fatal shooting outside club
A teenager has been found guilty of fatally shooting a man in the back of the neck outside a nightclub after travelling there on a high-powered 'super scooter'. Tyler Roberts-Emmanuel, 19, killed 30-year-old Shaquille Graham near Silks in Catford, south-east London, in the early hours of last March 10, the Old Bailey had heard. Hours before, he had done a 'dummy run' before setting off from his grandmother's address in Peckham on a scooter, jurors were told. Prosecutor Joel Smith KC had said: 'When he arrived, he circled the area, apparently looking for a target. He lay in wait opposite the club. Twenty minutes later, he saw Mr Graham and moved. 'He rode directly to Mr Graham, and stopped a few paces away. He got off the scooter, walked to Mr Graham and without pause, shot him through the throat. 'Mr Graham never stood a chance. He collapsed and died immediately.' Mr Smith told jurors that although the killing was 'planned', the motive remained obscure. The 'super scooter' used by the gunman was a Kaabo Wolf Warrior 11, which was the type the defendant had been trying to buy the month before, the court was told. Although the murder weapon was not recovered, the bullet and casing were said to be typical of a Carlos Arms self-loading pistol. Days before the shooting, the defendant was caught on CCTV carrying a handgun consistent with the same gun thought to have been used near his grandmother's address, jurors were told. Roberts-Emmanuel had denied murder, claiming that a relative, who he only named as 'X', was using the same address as him in Peckham. As he was found guilty of murder on Monday, relatives of Mr Graham cheered and embraced in court. The jury had deliberated for 16 hours and 23 minutes before reaching a unanimous verdict. Roberts-Emmanuel, of no fixed address, was remanded into custody to be sentenced on April 4.
BBC News
03-03-2025
- BBC News
Tyler Roberts-Emmanuel convicted of murder of Shaquille Graham
A 19-year-old has been found guilty of murdering a man he shot at point-blank range outside a south London Roberts-Emmanuel shot Shaquille Graham, 30, in Catford on 10 March 2024, after lying in wait for him for 20 minutes outside the venue. "Mr Graham never stood a chance," said prosecutor Joel Smith KC. "He collapsed and died immediately."The Old Bailey heard how Mr Graham's murder was planned, with the defendant making a "dummy run" on a scooter in the hours before the shooting. However, the motive for the attack remains a mystery, the court was told. Roberts-Emmanuel will be sentenced on 4 April. Jurors heard how the gunman, dressed in dark clothing and a mask or balaclava, left his grandmother's house in Linden Grove, Peckham, in the early hours of 10 March and drove to Silks nightclub in circling the area, Roberts-Emmanuel lay in wait opposite the club until Mr Graham left."He got off the scooter, walked to Mr Graham, and without pause shot him through the throat," said Mr Smith."The bullet travelled up through the neck, into Mr Graham's skull where it lodged itself."The gunman then returned to his grandmother's house, the court heard."Whilst it is obvious that the killing of Mr Graham was planned, the background remains obscure," said Mr Smith. 'Gunman was a relative' The jury heard there were key strands of evidence that tied Roberts-Emmanuel to the scooter used by the gunman to travel to and from the scene was a Kaboo Wolf Warrior 11 - a model that the defendant had tried to buy the month address the gunman used as a base was covered by CCTV, and along with mobile phone evidence, this showed the defendant was there at key also showed that the defendant had made a dummy run to Silks nightclub on his scooter at 19:00 GMT on the night of the murder, said Mr the gun used in the attack was not recovered, the bullet and its casing were found and were typical of a handgun consistent with a gun the defendant was seen carrying on claimed the gunman was a relative, whom he only named as "X", who he said was using the same address as him in Peckham.
