Carer Accused Of "Abuse And Neglect" At Mental Health Home

An abusive care assistant sparked a mass cover-up at a home for the mentally-ill after a shocked "whistleblower" - who witnessed systematic cruelty - reported him to social services, prompting a police investigation, a court heard yesterday.

Police found potentially incriminating documents and official paperwork had been shredded at Bromley's Lauriston House, a seventy-bed residential home for mainly elderly residents suffering dementia, brain damage and other serious disabilities.

Care assistant Marc Harwood, 44, (pic.top) of Howard Way, Bromley denies ill-treating a 92 year-old one-legged female dementia sufferer and two other elderly residents at the home in Bickley Park Road, Bickley.

"The position at the care home was not a happy one and you will hear from care assistant Niluka Ralalage, (pic.bottom) who became shocked at some of the practices going on," prosecutor Mr. Matthew Farmer told the Croydon Crown Court jury.

"She was shocked at the rough treatment and abuse Mr. Harwood meted out to the patients and it is sad to say the management ignored what she told them.

"You could call her a whistleblower and she went to Bromley social services and the subsequent enquiry found the home's management were uncooperative and a lot of documents had been destroyed and shredded.

"Thirteen members of staff were suspended and dismissed, including the manager and assistant manager, and some of the nursing staff were reported to their disciplinary body.

"The culture that was prevalent at the home was one of abuse and neglect."

The court heard 92 year-old Molly Gravenell, who has had one of her legs amputated and is immobile, was being moved from her bed to a wheelchair by Harwood.

"She was being hoisted from her bed and Mr. Harwood was getting angry with her for not bending her remaining leg. It was rigid and fixed, which did happen sometimes.

"He began shouting in Molly's face: 'Bend your bloody leg' and when Niluka intervened told her: 'You're new, you don't know these people, she's a drama queen.'

"His face was twisted and Molly had tears in her eyes as he shouted at her: 'You just eat and sleep. You're a pain in the backside."

On another occasion Molly had a mysterious black eye after Harwood brought her breakfast. 

"He must have seen it and should have reported it so she could get care and attention," explained Mr. Farmer.

Another elderly resident, Cathleen Hill, who had suffered a brain tumour, a stroke and was paralysed down one side and was blind in one eye was being cleaned in her room by Harwood after soiling herself.

"Niluka saw that Mrs Hill was completely naked and Mr. Harwood was extremely angry, shouting: 'Look at this fucking woman. Look at what she's fucking done.'

"He told the resident: 'You're a pain in the backside, kill yourself, cut your throat.

"He said: 'I'm going to fuck you,' and had his thumb extended in front of her, moving it back and forth, simulating sex."

Brain-damaged resident Frank Lord, who was another stroke victim and paralysed down one side, had also soiled himself and was being cleaned by Harwood.

"He was handling him really roughly and flung his arm with a lot of force," explained Mr. Farmer. "Frank was screaming and seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"Mr. Harwood said: 'He's an idiot just a nuisance. He's paralysed, how can he feel pain? He's a drama queen.'

"The screaming continued with Mr. Harwood shouting: 'Don't fuck me or I'll fuck you back' and he slapped Frank really hard on the stomach."

Harwood also pretended he had fed patients when he had not and lied that he had taken them to the toilet and changed their incontinence pads, the jury heard.

Sri Lankan buddhist Miss Ralalage, who still works at the home, told the jury: "I treat the residents like my own parents or grandparents. I have become very close and attached to them."

Harwood denies three counts of ill-treating each patient, wilfully neglecting Mrs Gravenell, assaulting Mr. Lord and wilfully neglecting other unnamed residents between February 1 and August 12, last year.

Trial continues………..  

Rogue Developer Flouts Planning Laws To Cash In

A millionaire property developer, who illegally ripped up the sprung wooden floor of a grade two listed cinema, making a £625,000 profit when it was sold for residential conversion, has been fined.

Franco Lumba, 45, of St. Margaret's Road, Twickenham is laughing all the way to the bank after deliberately ignoring repeated warnings from Kingston-upon-Thames council to cease work on the landmark town centre building.

The original Regal Cinema building became a Gala bingo hall and removal of the sloped amphitheatre floor made the property far more attractive for lucrative residential development.

Lumba pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to executing works on a listed building, without permission, between August 24 and October 26, 2010 and was fined £45,000 with £29,278 costs.

Prosecutor Mr. Richard Heller told the court the defendant's company - FL Trading - purchased the building for £1.975m on June 11 2010 and on July 14 the council received a formal complaint concerning works at the site.

A planning officer visited and the builders refused to identify the owner and refused entry to the building on subsequent occasions - even working on weekends in the knowledge council officers were not available to attend. 

"This case is about the removal of the sloped floor from the back of the auditorium to the front of the stage," explained. "The auditorium floor had been excavated and reduced to rubble."

Lumba applied for a nightclub licence for the building, but was refused.

He recently sold it for £2.6m to developers who wish to convert it into flats.

The court heard Lumba has a £5.7m property portfolio, which includes properties in Knightsbridge and Wentworth, has companies registered in Spain and the Cayman Islands and a motor yacht worth over £1m.

Despite being guilty of ignoring planning laws Lumba tried to get half of his legal bills back because charges against FL Trading were dropped.

"You are asking for costs when I find the company was complicit because it was run by the defendant," said the Recorder of Croydon Warwick McKinnon. "It is almost impertinent for the company to be awarded costs. I reject that.

"He has taken the law into his own hands brazenly and defiantly. The defendant knew it was a listed building.

"There has been a significant profit made and he flagrantly went ahead, disregarding the warnings. This is a bed case of its type."

Lumba will have to pay the fine and costs in full within eight months or go to prison for eighteen months.

Sleazy Salon Boss's Shampoo And Sex

The sleazy boss of a popular beauty salon, who groped a "shocked" 17 year-old trainee's breasts while conditioning her hair, is now back at work after avoiding jail with a suspended sentence.

Hairdresser Shimon Alcobi, 44, the owner of SHD Beauty, The Broadway, Northwood Hills massaged the unsuspecting teen's head before running his hands down underneath her top and bra.

He denied, but was convicted by an Isleworth Crown Court jury of sexually assaulting the victim on a day between May 30 and June 30, 2011 and received six months imprisonment, suspended for eighteen months.

The father-of-two of Holders Hill Avenue, Hendon later sacked the teenager after falsely accusing her of forming a relationship with a male member of staff and she reported him to the police.

"She was seventeen years-old, she worked at your salon in one of her first jobs, one of the first times she has experienced getting out in the real world and working with people," Judge Paul Dugdale told the father-of-two.

"You were her boss and it is one of the most unpleasant features of this case that you abused that position while pretending to carry out conditioning treatment on her.

"You took advantage and put your hands under her top and touched her breasts.

"What makes this such a disgraceful case is that you were trusted with this seventeen year-old.

"She trusted you and wanted to learn from you and you treated her as if you could do whatever you liked to her. That was a disgrace, your behaviour was disgusting."

Prosecutor Miss Pamela Reiss told the jury: "He offered to do her hair and conditioned it while giving her a head massage.

"Then he started rubbing the top of her neck and the front of her chest and put both his hands under her top and under her bra and touched her breasts.

"She was shocked, but continued to work there until August when she was fired for purportedly being in a relationship with another member of staff.

"This was not true, but they ended up forming a relationship later."

When police investigated the complaint two other young girls, an 19 year-old former member of staff and her friend, also gave statements against Alcobi alleging sexual assault.

He was also charged in relation to them, but was acquitted by the jury.

The former employee said Alcobi quizzed her about her sex life while shampooing and conditioning her hair and touched her chest, just above her breasts.

The defendant was conditioning her friend's hair on another occasion when the young woman insists he touched her chest and encouraged the girls to kiss each other.

Alcobi's lawyer Mr. Christopher Drew told the court: "He regards it as a shameful offence, but he does not accept he is guilty.

"The impact on Mr. Alcobi and his family has been a complete disruption of his and their lives and it will have a tremendous effect on his professional life.

"It is hardly a recommendation, this conviction, in his line of work.

"He is the lynchpin of the business and if he is not available to run it, it will close."

Before the scandal the salon enjoyed a £60,000 a year turnover.

"You have worked in the hairdressing industry all your life and before this had no conviction of any kind," Judge Dugdale told Alcobi, ordering him to sign the sex offenders register for seven years.

A Sexual Offenders Prevention Order was also made prohibiting the defendant working with staff aged under eighteen years-old and he will also have to complete 200 hours community service work and pay £2,500 compensation to the victim.

"Are You Going To Let Him Get Away With That?" Teen Asks Boyfriend After OAP's Car Lights Warning

A teenage couple, who battered a 78 year-old man at a bus stop after he pointed out their vehicle's lights were not switched on, were locked-up yesterday.

Thugs Christopher Graney, 19,(pic.bottom) and his girlfriend Samantha Fenton, 19,(pic.mid.) pushed lone Andrew Connan to the ground and repeatedly punched and kicked him during the sustained midnight attack.

Landscape gardener Graney, of Mayfair Close, Beckenham and Fenton, of Homefield Road, Bromley were both convicted by a Croydon Crown Court jury of causing actual bodily harm to Mr. Connan in Widmore Road, Bromley on October 15, last year.

Mr. Connan (pic.top) was waiting for a bus home after enjoying a night out when he waved towards a car erratically driven by Graney because it was dark and the vehicle's lights were not switched on.

Fenton asked her boyfriend, who had been drinking that night: "Are you going to let him get away with that?"

They were each sentenced to thirty months youth custody at Croydon Crown Court by Judge Stephen Waller who said: "You Graney drove past in a car in an erratic and dangerous manner and your rear seat passenger was frightened and you had no lights on.

"The victim made some sort of gesture to you to turn on your headlights and you Fenton instigated what happened.

"You stopped the car and attacked the victim. You knocked him to the ground and he was obviously a defenceless, elderly man and you repeatedly kicked and punched him and you Fenton got out of the car and joined in.

"You kicked him and hit him so hard with your fist it caused an injury to your right hand and you were seen to step back as if to take a flying kick and changed your mind.

"I have seen the photos of the victim's injuries and at the time they seemed very serious. An attack on an elderly man could have led to very serious injury.

"There were no permanent serious injuries and he was discharged the following day and made a good physical recovery."

However, after reading Mr. Connan's victim impact statement the judge announced: "His life will never be the same again.

"There was a vulnerable victim and it was a sustained assault and neither of you showed the slightest degree of remorse for this shocking attack.

'Only a custodial sentence is justified and one that reflects the court's and public's abhorrence at such an attack on an elderly man."

Graney will serve an additional extra six months custody for smashing lone pedestrian Jayden McKenzie over the head with a metal drain cover and beating him with two accomplices.

He attacked the 28 year-old in the forecourt of a Total petrol station in the early hours of August 27, 2011 in Croydon Road, Beckenham, leaving the victim needing hospital treatment for a head wound, which required three stitches.

His lawyer Mr. Brian Kennedy said: "There are infrequent occasions when he drinks to excess and that changes his character to an aggressive individual.

"An excessive amount of alcohol was taken by the defendant. He is disgusted with himself."

The prosecution dropped charges of drink-driving, no insurance and no licence against Graney.

Fenton's lawyer Mr. Clive Smith told the court: "She says she felt physically sick when looking at the photos."

He said of first-time offender Fenton, who is employed as her mother's full-time carer: "She is otherwise a caring and loving individual. That is her nature when not in drink.

"Her actions that night have scared her into not drinking since October….That is not the person she is or wants to be."

Wannabe Murderer Stabbed Bus Stop Commuter When Refused a Cig and Fiver

An early-morning knifeman, who tried to kill his bus stop victim when the middle-aged man refused to first hand over a cigarette and then a fiver, has been caged for eighteen years.

Luke Freeman-Roach, 22, of Weighton Road, Penge was caught on CCTV prowling the streets and approaching victim Ted Stevens, 53, who was waiting to catch a bus to work at 4.35am.

"What a dreadful case this is," announced the Recorder of Croydon Warwick McKinnon. "On a quiet morning last July Mr. Stevens made off for work at 4.18 am and was waiting for a bus outside Anerley Town Hall.

"He was having a quiet cigarette and it must have seemed like an ordinary start to the day, but this was no ordinary day and but for the prompt attention of paramedics he would have died.

"The victim was out and about looking for a victim to rob and had a large carving knife on him, which we can see on the CCTV.

"He confronted the victim at the bus stop and Mr. Stevens resisted and ended up being stabbed three times to the torso.

"The defendant swore at and verbally abused Mr. Stevens that he would kill him and he had one last chance to hand over money.

"He later gave a false story to police that he had been the victim of an attack by Mr. Stevens."

Freeman-Roach was convicted by a Croydon Crown Court jury of attempted murder and Judge McKinnon ordered he must serve at least twelve years of the sentence before he is considered for parole and remain on licence for an additional five years.

He was previously convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm on a train passenger he robbed, breaking their nose during the attack.

The court heard Mr. Stevens continues to suffer post-traumatic stress and Judge McKinnon announced: "It is a bad case of its kind. He was lucky to escape with his knife.

"Freeman-Roach poses a serious risk of dangerous harm to members of the public and I have to take into account the mental and physical suffering of the victim."

"Naive" Teen Locked-Up For Smuggling Cocaine

A teenager, who smuggled £324,000 worth of cocaine through Gatwick Airport, while on bail for sneaking cannabis into a prison, has been locked-up for four and a half years.

Suzi Bansenga, 19, of Brooklime Close, Swindon, Wiltshire was returning from the Caribbean when she was stopped with 1.69 kilos of 72% pure cocaine in her luggage.

The first-time offender pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to importing the drug on December 4, last year and conveying an article, namely cannabis, into HMP The Mount, Bovingdon, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire on September 7.

Prosecutor Miss Shazi Ahmed told the court Bansenga was initially arrested and bailed during a scheduled visit to The Mount.

“A dog handler at the entrance asked her if she had any illegal drugs on her after the dog indicated a positive response and Bansenga said she was with some smokers earlier and when the officer smelt cannabis she said it was on her clothing.

“A large package weighing 31.95 gms was in her leggings and a smaller package weighing 7.63 gms was in her bra.”

Bansenga was scheduled to visit prisoner Tyrone White, who she said repeatedly asked her to smuggle cannabis in, promising her £200 in return.

She was arrested again after flying in from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, where she told UK Border Agency officers she had spent two weeks visiting her aunt and had no drugs on her.

Officers x-rayed a heavy rucksack, which was inside the defendant's suitcase, and discovered the cocaine.

Bansenga's lawyer Mr. Brian Aldred told the court: “It was a normal family trip until the last day when her aunt was visited by a male and when they started arguing in the bedroom the defendant left.

“When she returned her aunt was packing her case for her and was in tears, explaining that she would have to take something back with her or there would be trouble.

“Her aunt said it was drugs and Miss Bansenga refused, but her aunt was very upset and she gave in.

“She was not going to be reimbursed for doing it and she presents herself as a naïve and pliable lady who obviously has some growing up to do.”

Recorder HJ Mallins CBE told Bansenga: “The first offence was something you did for money and greed and after that while on bail you committed a much more serious crime.

“You smuggled cocaine into this country, a dreadfully serious offence, and doing so while on bail for another offence is even worse.

“The second offence was perhaps borne out of greed, you were not forced to do it, it was disgraceful.”

Bansenga was sentenced to four-and-a-half years custody for smuggling cocaine and six months to run concurrently for the cannabis offence.

PCSO Jailed For Spinning Car-Crash Lie To Police

A Police Community Support Officer, who perverted the course of justice by lying about crashing her car after drinking at least two glasses of wine mixed with anti-depressants, has been jailed for eight weeks.

Single-mum Lauren Dighton-Andrews, 24, collided with a parked Marcedes van at 4.50am, but fled the scene and later told police her car had been taken and driven without her knowledge.

"For five years you were a PCSO and stood as a person in a position of trust and responsibility," Recorder Laurie West-Knights QC told her. "You of all people should not have even thought of the commission of an offence of this kind.

"You accept you had two glasses of wine and your counsel says on top of that you had medication that caused you to panic."

Dighton-Andrews, of Sidmouth Road, Welling pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to perverting the course of justice on July 22, last year hours after crashing her white Seat Ibiza in Woolwich Road, Belvedere.

Prosecutor Mr. Peter Gray told the court: "It was a fairly serious accident in the sense of damage to the vehicles and the Mercedes Sprinter sustained quite a heavy amount of damage.

"The impact caused a wheel to collapse and there was also heavy damage to the Seat, which lost its front bumper and the airbag was deployed."

Officers quickly discovered the absent Dighton-Andrews, who patrolled Camberwell, Southwark, was the owner of the vehicle and nine hours later she turned up at Bexleyheath Police Station, insisting she was not driving it.

"The defendant told the police she had left the vehicle locked on her driveway at 4pm and a friend and two unnamed males remained in her house," explained Mr. Gray. "She said she had a confrontation with one of them and left the house and car keys on the kitchen table."

Dighton-Andrews left the car keys in the ignition and police matched her DNA to the airbag.

A friend, Laura Barker, told police she and the defendant had gone out for the night with two men, indicating Dighton-Andrews had more than two glasses of wine, and she later heard her driving away from the house.

"There were also texts on Miss Barker's phone from the defendant saying she had crashed her car."

A reference on behalf of the defendant read: "She always loved her job as a PCSO…She was an active PCSO."

Her lawyer Mr. Pieter Briegel said: "She had two glasses of wine that night and that was in combination with medication. That is always unwise."

Dighton-Andrews had been prescribed anti-depressants after splitting with her boyfriend, who also worked for the police, claiming he was abusive.

She fled the house because of the unwanted attention from one of the men, said Mr. Briegel. "It was a hand on the knee from a frisky male who had been drinking.

"She did not want to lose consciousness while with a man giving her unwanted attention.

"She knew she had some alcohol and damage that was sufficient to deploy an airbag is pretty significant.

"It is to her regret that she did not act differently and when the police became involved it was embedded and she could not face up to the situation."

Dighton-Andrews is also £30,000 in debt and her house is up for sale.

"If she had got away with it the owner of the Mercedes would have been facing damage from an untraced driver," announced Recorder West-Knight. "On top of that she was fingering one of the males in the house.

"From the outset you gave a wholly false account," he told the first-time offender. "This is a very serious criminal offence and except for exceptional circumstances an immediate custodial sentence must follow.

"An offence of this kind by a person in your position does not come under exceptional circumstances."

Benefit Fraudster's £12K Empty Flat Scam

A benefit cheat, who pocketed over £12,000 by claiming he lived in his neighbour's flat in a landmark apartment block near Harrods, has been jailed for four months.

Jobless Howard Randall, 54, shares the head porter's flat at swish Lowndes Lodge with his male partner of twenty years, but forged bogus documents, which duped his local council into believing he lived in a vacant apartment.

"This was a calculated deception from the outset, targeting public funds to satisfy your own greed," district judge Howard Fanning told the first-time offender at Hammersmith Magistrates' Court. "You then tinkered with the scam to make further funds for yourself."

After successfully claiming £115 rent per week on the vacant studio flat in Cadogan Place, Belgravia Randall then claimed back pay when he returned from a Far East vacation - even forging more documents to try and pocket £150 per week.

"This was clearly a planned fraud  and the only explanation offered was that he had received requests for council tax payments, which he and his partner did not think he was liable for," said prosecutor Mr. Roger Hodkinson, representing the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

"The flat was empty and Mr. Randall decided to make an application for housing benefit even though he did not occupy the flat and the fraud continued for over two years.

"He went to Thailand for a number of months and his Jobseeker's Allowance was stopped and the council called the case in for review.

"When Mr. Randall returned from Thailand he made another application for housing benefit, but asked for it to be back-dated to January 2012.

"A lease that never existed was forged along with letters from various individuals purporting to be the landlord and the landlord's agent.

"Mr. Randall decided he wanted more and submitted a fraudulent letter that the rent had increased to one hundred and fifty pounds a week.

"Not only was this a fraud initially, but Mr. Randall decided he could get more."

The council visited the flat in July, last year and after confirming it was not occupied called the defendant in for an interview.

"He signed a statement that was effectively a full confession. He admitted it was greed," explained Mr. Hodkinson.

When initially claiming benefits in April 2010 Randall declared he had no savings, but told investigators he financed the Thai trip from a nest egg.

He received £10,324 in housing benefit and £2,104 in council tax benefit.

Randall's lawyer Miss Naomi Alcendor told the court her client needed funds to finance civil legal proceedings in 2010.

"This fraud was run at this time and he knows there is no excuse and there is no justification.

"He was not working an money was extremely tight and under pressure he made some unwise choices and is extremely remourseful," added Miss Alcendor. "Money is now being deducted from his benefits. A nominal amount."

There was no court order for compensation and the council have indicated they will not pursue a civil claim against Randall.

Jailing him Mr. Fanning told Randall: "The use of forged documents and all the circumstances of the offence, which was dishonest from the word go, demands an immediate sentence of imprisonment."

Randall pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud by false representation on various dates between May 13, 2010 and July 5, last year and three counts of making an article for use in fraud on various dates between April 20, 2010 and July 3, last year.

Flatmate Gets Life For £240 Drugs Money Murder

A drug addict, who murdered his terrified flatmate then used his bank card to withdraw £240, is starting a minimum thirty-year life sentence.

Glasgow native Richard Hamilton, 46, (pic.top) became a recluse in his own room at the flat he shared with Matthew Tinling, 25, (pic.bottom) as a result of threats and intimidation.

An Old Bailey jury convicted Tinling of murdering Mr. Hamilton, who he repeatedly stabbed in the neck, at the property in Shirland Road, Maida Vale, West London, last year.

Both men had been housed by a charity and it was the first time in years Mr. Hamilton had a place he could call home.

The pair had separate rooms in the flat and CCTV footage captured Tinling leaving the property fifteen minutes before the cash was withdrawn from Mr. Hamilton's account.

Mr. Hamilton's body was found on April 9.

Tinling confessed to an associate he had murdered Mr. Hamilton and forensic evidence also linked him to the crime.

Detective Inspector Colette Smyth said: "Matthew Tinling used brutal violence to murder Richard Hamilton, so he could obtain funds from Richard's bank accounts to feed his daily drug habit.

“He inflicted fear and intimidation on Richard to the extent that he became a recluse in his own room in the weeks prior to his murder.

This was in a place where for the first time in a long time Richard could call home. 



"It is the consequences of Matthew Tinling's violence that will live with Richard's family forever.

“At this time our thoughts are with Richard's family and those who loved him.

“I would like to thank those witnesses who bravely came forward and gave evidence in this trial."

Dealer Jailed After Police Drugs Raid

A drug-dealer, arrested after a police raid at his West London home, which recovered crack cocaine, cannabis and £27,860 in cash, has been jailed.

Tahir Khan, 36, (pictured) of Barrack Road, Hounslow received three years and six months at Isleworth Crown Court.

He was convicted of possessing class A drugs, with intent to supply, and money laundering.

Khan was arrested on August 31, last year when officers executed a search warrant

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Easton said: "People who come to Hounslow to commit crime, need to know they will be investigated, arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.



"Tahir Khan is starting a three year and six month prison sentence and has had a substantial part of the profits from the crimes he committed forfeited.

A total of £27,860 has now been recovered by my officers and recycled into the ongoing fight against crime." 

Fashion Graduate Murder: Man Charged

A man charged with the murder of a fashion designer, who was stabbed to death in her East London home, has been remanded in custody until the summer.

Mother-of-one Daneshia Arthur, 30, (pictured) of Baden Powell Close, Dagenham suffered multiple stab wounds at the quiet cul-de-sac property she shared with her mother and young daughter.

Delton Coley, 36, of no fixed abode, initially appeared at Thames Magistrates' Court charged with Daneshia's murder and was then remanded by the Old Bailey until June 28.

Daneshia, who was a graduate of the London College of Fashion, where she received a BA Honours degree in fashion design died on March 18.

Wannabe Ladies Man Who Shot Nightclub Rival Caged For Twelve Years

A dangerous gunman, who shot a fellow nightclub customer in the stomach when the victim tried to save his female friends from the man's unwanted advances, was jailed for twelve years today.

Leslie Ammah, 23, (pictured) was convicted of blasting the 19 year-old university student outside the South Beach Bar, Brixton Hill in the early hours of September 3, 2011.

An Old Bailey jury fround Ammah, of Copeland House, Lambeth Walk, Lambeth guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm and possessing a firearm, with intent to endanger life.

Detective Sergeant Paul Davis of Operation Trident, which investigates black gun crime, said: “I am pleased with the sentence that has been handed down today.

“The Metropolitan Police Service takes offences of this nature very seriously and will take action to send a clear message to those concerned in gun crime that if they are involved, in any way, they can expect to be identified and convicted for the offence.

“I hope today's sentencing will offer some form of closure for the victim who had enjoyed a night out and intervened in a situation simply because he was concerned for the safety of his friends.”

The victim noticed that two of his female friends were being hassled by a group of men, who were insisting they come with them.



The victim, concerned for the safety of his friends, intervened and shepherded the women towards their car.



The suspect group became angry and a fight began.



Ammah then pulled out a handgun and fired at the victim, hitting him in the stomach.



The victim collapsed to the ground and the suspect group fled towards their Audi TT.



The victim was taken to Kings College Hospital and later recovered from his injury.



Enquiries led to the identification of a member of the suspect group and then the gunman, Ammah.



He was arrested during an armed operation on 24 January 2012 and subsequently charged.



DS Davis added: "The victim had enjoyed a night out and intervened in a situation simply because he was concerned for the safety of his friends.



"His act of kindness led to a situation that escalated and ended with him being shot in the stomach by Ammah, who was armed.”