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Man gets life sentence for gangland shooting that left girl aged nine with bullet lodged in brain

A man has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 34 years for his role in a gangland shooting that left a nine-year-old girl with a bullet lodged in her brain.

Javon Riley, 33, helped the motorbike-riding gunman escape from the scene after he fired six times at the Evin Restaurant in Dalston, east London, on 29 May last year.

He was found guilty of the attempted murder of the men and causing grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to the girl.

Read more: The Turkish gang war behind the shooting

Javon Riley. Pic: Met Police
Image:
Javon Riley. Pic: Met Police

Prosecutors said the Tottenham Turks gang had ordered the planned assassination of members of the rival Hackney Turks, who were sitting at a table outside the restaurant.

The first bullet missed, hitting the child in the head while she was inside eating ice cream with her family.

It was a “miracle” she survived, police said, adding they were “millimetres” away from launching a murder investigation.

The gunman fired six shots in two seconds. Pic: Met Police
Image:
The gunman fired six shots in two seconds. Pic: Met Police

The girl, who cannot be identified, had her skull rebuilt with titanium and spent more than three months in hospital.

She has made a good recovery, but the bullet is still lodged in her brain and she is expected to have physical and cognitive difficulties for the rest of her life.

Footage of the attack caught on the helmet of an off-duty policeman shows the gunman, who was riding a powerful Ducati Monster motorbike, shoot six bullets in two seconds.

Men scrambled to safety. Pic: Met Police
Image:
Men scrambled to safety. Pic: Met Police

The targeted men scrambled to get inside but Nasser Ali, 43, suffered a wound to his backbone, Kenan Aydogdu, 45, was shot in the leg and Mustafa Kiziltan, 35, was hit in the thigh.

Riley, who is from the Tottenham area, claimed he had been contacted by a “third party” and offered around £40,000 to be involved in a “smash and grab” robbery of 60kg of drugs.

He was found guilty of three charges of attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to the girl after a trial at the Old Bailey earlier this month.

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Writers at Lord’s Press come from a range of professional backgrounds, including history, diplomacy, heraldry, and public administration. Many publish anonymously or under initials—a practice that reflects the publication’s long-standing emphasis on discretion and editorial objectivity. While they bring expertise in European nobility, protocol, and archival research, their role is not to opine, but to document. Their focus remains on accuracy, historical integrity, and the preservation of events and individuals whose significance might otherwise go unrecorded.

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