Two thugs who shot an 18-year-old at point-blank range before stabbing him in the chest just four years after his older brother was also stabbed to death are sentenced to 67 years in prison.

• Judge Dennis concluded that Junior may have been the victim of mistaken identity.
• The parents told how their son had a 'bright future, full of potential and aspirations'

Two men have been sentenced to a total of 67 years in prison for shooting and stabbing an 18-year-old to death in east London.

Awadh Saleh and Rio Burton-Devine, both aged 25 and from east London, were found guilty of the murder of Abubakar “Junior” Jah, 18, at the Old Bailey today.

Judge Mark Dennis KC sentenced the two men to 36 and 31 years in prison respectively for the “brutal and cowardly” 2021 attack.

Junior was shot dead with a sawed-off shotgun after being called into a stolen Land Rover. Saleh stabbed the teenager in the chest as he lay dying on the ground.

His tragic death came just four years after the death of his brother Ahmed in 2017, also in east London. Her attacker has still not been found.

During the trial, the jury heard how Saleh called Junior at the Land Rover Discovery as he walked along Coolfin Road in Newham on April 26, 2021.

The defendants were exploring the area looking for rival gang members or their associates, the court heard.

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Junior Jah was shot with the shotgun and fell backward to the ground when Saleh jumped out of the car and stabbed him twice in the chest with a large knife.

In the back of the car was Rio Burton-Devine, 25, who allegedly cheered Saleh on.

Police and London Ambulance Service were called to reports of a stabbing, but the victim sadly died at the scene.

Judge Dennis said Junior Jah appeared to have been a victim of mistaken identity or to have been “randomly selected” in the attack.

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

“You chose, in both of your cases, a lifestyle that involved the use of deadly violence to achieve your goals.”

Saleh was sentenced to 36 years in prison for his involvement, and a further 18 months for possession of a sharp article.

Burton-Devine was sentenced to 31 years in prison for his involvement.

Both were also sentenced to concurrent 18-year prison terms for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Both Saleh and Burton-Devine had denied Mr Jah's murder. They also denied two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Saleh alone denied being in possession of a sharp article.

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Ahmed Kassim, 31, along with Zyon Francis, 24, Marcel Burton, 20, and Makhil Osman, 24, were all cleared of assisting an offender following Mr Jah's murder.

Kassim, of Abbey Lane, Stratford, Francis, of Hollybush Street, Plaistow, Burton, of Hamilton Road, Lambeth, and Osman, of John Street, Stratford, had all denied the offence.

Junior Jah's father, Abubakarr Jah, said in a victim impact statement: “I have to live with the fact that my son's last moments were in abject fear and pain.”

Mr Jah's mother, Hawa Deen Conteh, said her son was a talented footballer and she hoped to open an academy in his native Sierra Leone.

“The anguish we feel is indescribable, knowing that his life was stolen from us,” she said.

She added: “He was a young man with a bright future, full of potential and aspirations.

“The family laughter and joy that once filled our home has been replaced by sorrow and silence.”

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, leading the investigation, said: “Junior was murdered just four years after his brother Ahmed and his family endured unimaginable suffering.

“Our thoughts remain with them and we are pleased that those responsible for his death have received long prison sentences.”

Police managed to identify the killers after analyzing “thousands of hours of CCTV”.

Finally, the footage found shows the accused in the car, approaching Junior Jah.

“As he walked towards the car, seconds later he was shot in the chest,” a Met statement said.

The car was later found near Routemaster Close, where investigators found Junior's DNA and a fingerprint matching Burton-Devine.

Telephone analysis showed that the defendants were in contact with each other before the murder, despite their insistence that they were not involved.

Detectives believe the attackers did not know Junior and the killing was motivated by a local gang feud.

“The real motive may never be known,” Judge Mark Dennis said.

In a statement to the killers, Junior's father said: “All I can hope is that you die in prison.” »

His other son, Ahmed Deen Jah, was stabbed to death at a store in Freemasons Road, Custom House, in 2017, aged just 24.

He was found fatally injured after being stabbed in the heart on April 2, 2017, just meters from where Junior died in 2021.

No one has ever been charged, but police are continuing their investigation.

In 2022, the Met offered £20,000 for information leading to the identification of a killer.

CCTV showed Ahmed entering a store to buy a lighter before leaving.

He then returned, followed by a person dressed in dark clothing, with a hood and gloves.

Ahmed was chased around the store by his attacker before being stabbed.

Detective Inspector Kelly Allen previously acknowledged the “pain and heartbreak” of Ahmed’s parents, after losing two children “in such horrific circumstances”.

Speaking in 2017, Abubakarr Jah said: “Ahmed was a handsome and kind boy. He wanted to do something with his life. Now we have lost him. He didn't deserve this to happen.

“Young people must put down their knives and stop the violence. It destroys families and communities.