A man has been found guilty for his role in a gangland shooting in east London that left a nine-year-old girl fighting for her life with a bullet lodged in her brain.
Javon Riley, 33, was convicted at the Old Bailey of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to the child, who was struck in the head as she sat eating ice cream with her family at the Evin Restaurant on Kingsland High Street in Dalston on 29 May last year. He was also found guilty of attempting to murder three men – Mustafa Kiziltan, 35, Kenan Aydogdu, 45, and Nasser Ali, 44 – who were sitting outside the restaurant that evening.
The girl became an innocent victim of a feud between rival Turkish gangs, the court heard. The gunman and weapon used in the attack have never been found. Her mother told jurors: “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.”
The shooting began just after 9.20pm, with six bullets fired from a passing Ducati Monster motorbike. The first shot hit the child in the head, CCTV showed, causing her to collapse to the floor as panic spread inside the restaurant.
Prosecutors said Riley, from Tottenham, played a key role in the attack, carrying out reconnaissance by passing the restaurant multiple times to check the targets were present. He later helped the gunman escape in a car that was later found burnt out, while the motorbike was also recovered by police. An off-duty officer cycling nearby managed to capture images of the gunman as he prepared to open fire.
The girl’s family said their lives had been shattered, describing the daily challenges of her recovery, from slowed growth on one side to lasting emotional trauma. They said: “The world we once believed was safe for our child now feels frightening and uncertain.”
Despite Riley’s conviction, the man who pulled the trigger remains unidentified. The Metropolitan Police has offered a £15,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Detective Inspector Ben Dalloway, who led the investigation, said: “Javon Riley’s actions traumatically altered the trajectory of a little girl’s life. While this outcome serves as a slither of justice, the dangerous individual responsible for pulling the trigger remains on our streets.”
Riley will be sentenced on 12 September.