Newham: two men jailed for 'brutal' murder of teenager

Two men have been sentenced to life in prison for the “brutal and cowardly” murder of a teenager in east London.

Awadh Saleh and Rio Burton-Devine, both aged 25 and from east London, were found guilty of the murder of “Junior” Abubakarr Jah, 18, who was fatally shot and stabbed in April 2021.

Sentencing them at the Old Bailey, Judge Mark Dennis KC said they must serve minimum terms of 36 and 31 years respectively.

Junior Jah's murder came four years after his older brother Ahmed was killed in 2017 near the same location. His killer has still not been found and the police have renewed their appeal for information.

During the trial the jury heard that Junior Jah was attacked by Saleh and Burton-Devine as he walked along Coolfin Road in Newham.

The defendants – driving a stolen Land Rover Discovery – had embarked on an “excursion” looking for anyone they suspected of being linked to rival gangs, it was revealed.

A shot was fired from inside the vehicle, hitting Junior Jah in the chest, causing him to fall backwards and onto the sidewalk.

Video surveillance showed Saleh got out of the vehicle and stabbed the victim twice using a large knife.

Judge Dennis said it appeared Junior Jah had been shot “in a case of mistaken identity” or had been “selected at random”.

“I am satisfied that this enterprise has all the hallmarks of serious organized crime in the context of gang-related activity,” he said.

“This is a brutal and cowardly act of gratuitous violence against a defenseless teenager who was in fact executed while standing on the pavement of a London street.”

In a victim impact statement, Junior’s father, Abubakarr Jah, said: “His life was cut short by a horrific and brutal act of savagery.

“I have to live with the fact that my son’s final moments were spent in abject fear and pain.”

He said the defendants were “a scourge on society and a danger to the community” and should be “ashamed” of themselves.

Saleh and Burton-Devine were also sentenced to concurrent 18 years in prison for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Saleh was also sentenced to 18 months in prison for possession of a sharp article.

Two other men – Asad Sharif, 29, from Manor Park, and Dino Hamza, 26, from Plaistow – were sentenced to 39 and 28 months in prison respectively after pleading guilty to conspiracy to rob.

Detective Inspector Gary Harreman, of the Met, said Junior Jah's family had shown “great strength” throughout the investigation.

He said police continued to “fight for justice” for Ahmed and detectives were working to find those responsible for his death.

“Seven years have passed since his assassination, but we know that people’s allegiances can change over time,” he said.

He urged anyone with information to come forward.