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A nine-year-old girl was shot in the head during what prosecutors describe as "a planned assassination" of rival gang members in east London. The child was seriously injured when bullets from a drive-by shooting missed their intended targets as she ate dinner with her family at a restaurant in Dalston.
The shooting occurred at the Evin restaurant in Kingsland High Street on 29 May last year, the Old Bailey heard. A bullet lodged in the girl's brain whilst three other men seated at a pavement table outside the busy restaurant were also hit on various parts of their bodies.
Court hears assassination claims
Javon Riley, 33, has pleaded not guilty to four charges of attempted murder and an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent against the girl. Prosecutors allege he played "a key role before, during and after the shooting" by carrying out reconnaissance of the restaurant and helping the gunman evade capture.
The gunman, who fired from a Ducati Monster motorbike, has never been tracked down. Riley, of Tottenham, north London, allegedly travelled past the scene several times to ensure targets were present before the shooting took place.
Gang rivalry behind attack
Prosecutor James Mulholland KC told the court: "The prosecution case is that this was a planned assassination of members of a rival gang by Mr Riley and others." He said the shooting appeared to be part of "an ongoing dispute" between two rival groups known as the Tottenham Turks and the Hackney Turks, also called the "Bombacilars".
The prosecutor explained that these gangs "have had an intense rivalry for well over a decade which has involved the use of extreme violence towards one another". Those seated outside the restaurant had affiliations with the Hackney Turks, whilst those who ordered the shooting were from the Tottenham Turks, the prosecution claims.
Child undergoes intensive surgery
The nine-year-old victim has endured several intensive operations at Great Ormond Street Hospital, with the first carried out the day after the shooting. Sections of her skull were removed to relieve brain swelling and have since been replaced with a titanium plate.
She spent three months in hospital before being allowed home. Mr Mulholland said: "Although she has made a relatively good recovery, she will continue to have physical and cognitive difficulties throughout her life."
Three men also wounded
The three men hit in the attack - Mustafa Kiziltan, Kenan Aydogdu and Nasser Ali - were taken to Royal London Hospital where each underwent surgery for serious bullet wounds. They suffered injuries to the thigh, leg and backbone respectively, and each appears to have made "a reasonable recovery".
Jurors heard the motorbike rider "raised his right arm and fired six shots in quick succession" which struck the men sitting outside but also hit the little girl inside the restaurant. After the shooting, the gunman allegedly rode to a nearby street where Riley was waiting in a stolen Nissan Juke on false plates.
Police recordings reveal connections
Covert police recordings made in the months after the shooting captured Riley talking about figures linked to the Tottenham Turks. He spoke about Izzet Eren, who was shot in Moldova on 10 July last year in what was believed to be a revenge attack, and a man called "Kem", whom prosecutors believe is Kemal Eren.
The court heard that Riley was not a member of the Tottenham Turks but "clearly knew of them and was linked to them and that they were behind the shooting". The trial continues.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
