Three men jailed for over 50 years for station car park shooting - London

Three men have been jailed for a total of over 50 years following a shocking broad daylight shooting in a busy station car park in West London.

 

Mohammed Ahmed, 19, and of Bishops Grove, Hampton and Mosaab Berrada, 19, of HMP Wormwood Scrubs were both convicted of attempted murder at Isleworth Crown Court in February this year.

Ahmed was also convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

 

Berrada was also convicted of the counts of possession of a firearm and ammunition and pleaded guilty with possession with intent to supply Class A.

Yesterday, a judge sentenced them to 21 years each. Berrada will serve a minimum of fifteen years and Ahmed with serve a minimum of fourteen years before being eligible for release on extended license. 

A third man, an 18-year-old, was also convicted of attempted Grievous Bodily Harm and sentenced to thirteen years in prison on 23 July this year.

On 17 December 2018 at around 2.40pm the victim, a 19-year-old man, and another man called a taxi to pick them up from nearby Isleworth station. When the taxi arrived at the station, the driver noticed Chartsrivisej in a verbal altercation with the two men by the ticket machine.

 

The victim and the other man got in the taxi, and as it was turning round the driver noticed Chartsrivisiej speaking to a group of men who had appeared from a small pathway and gesticulating towards the taxi. Ahmed then moved to stand in front of the vehicle, pulling out a black handgun with a silver silencing.

The court heard the victims were shouting “please help, get us out because they are going to kill us!”.

Believing he was going to be shot at, the taxi driver drove at speed towards Ahmed causing him to move to the side of the taxi.

He then fired the gun twice at the rear side window, just missing the victim and the other passenger, and exiting through the offside window, leaving two holes in the windows about 10cm apart.

Minutes later, the glass in the windows shattered and fell out.

The taxi was able to drive quickly to safety and alert police to what had happened, while Ahmed and Berrada fled the scene on bicycles.

Specialist officers attended the scene and a cartridge case was located along with a black knife in a sheath. Following a number of extensive enquiries, the three men were identified through CCTV and arrested.

Colleagues from the Metropolitan Police conducted a search warrant on the home of Berrada were three firearms were found hidden in an extractor fan in the kitchen. A handgun was forensically examined and linked to the weapon that was used in the station car park. It is believed Berrada delivered the gun to Ahmed that afternoon.

In his sentencing remarks at court yesterday, the judge said: "Your offending amounted to an attempt to kill another by firing a gun into a car at very close range. This was a grave crime."

Detective Superintendent Gary Richardson said: “This was a shockingly brazen incident and it is frankly unthinkable to me that anyone would think to carry such a lethal weapon, let alone then choose to fire it in a busy station car park in broad daylight.

The consequences could easily have been fatal, not just for the victim and the other passengers of the taxi, but for the countless members of the public, including young children, who were passing by at the time. I cannot imagine how much of a terrifying experience this must have been for them, and yet Ahmed has not shown any remorse for his actions at any stage of the investigation.

We have worked tirelessly with our colleagues from the Metropolitan Police to identify him and Berrada and bring them before the court yesterday.  

Thankfully, incidents involving firearms on the rail network are extremely rare. However, when they do occur there are severe consequences and this significant sentence should be a deterrent to anyone intending on carrying such weapons or using them for such violence.”

Metropolitan Police Chief Inspector Richard Watkinson said: "This is an excellent outcome, and underlines how tirelessly the Met will work with partner agencies to drive violence off our streets. This incident left a lot of fear in the local community and it is incredibly encouraging that this is reflected in the length of the jail terms. West Area Basic Command Unit, British Transport Police and Hounslow Council will continue to work together to make the streets of Hounslow safer."