Mohammed Usman Mirza died outside a tower block in east London
(Picture: Met police)Seven men from Ilford have been jailed after a 19-year-old man was stabbed to death in a pre-mediated “revenge attack” for the attempted murder of another man two months earlier.
Tyler Moore, 21, was sentenced on Monday to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years after being convicted of Mohammed Usman Mirza’s murder in July.
Usman, 19, was violently attacked by the group in an alleway in Redbridge, east London in 2019 and died from a stab wound to the neck.
His father, Imran Mirza, told the Old Bailey: “We will never get over the murder of our son Usman and we miss him every single day. This has been a very long process with two trials but we are pleased that justice has now been served.”
Moeez Bangash, 26, and Jonathan Makengo, 25 - found guilty of manslaughter - have also been sentenced.
This follows an earlier 10-week trial in October 2021 which saw three men all convicted of Usman’s murder and sentenced - London Beqa, 20, Shariq Khan, 21, Hassan Riaz, 22.
During the latter trial, restrictions around naming an 18-year-old found guilty of murder were lifted. He can now be named as Omari Thompson. He has also been sentenced.
Due to Covid restrictions at the time, the trials were split. The seven defendants will serve a combined total of 128 years in prison before being eligible for parole.
Detective Chief Inspector Kelly Allen said: “While all of these men may have played different roles in what happened to Usman, what was clear to us and the jury was this was a carefully planned attack with Usman as the sole target. Nothing had been left to chance.
“They were out for revenge for the attack they believed Usman had orchestrated against their friend. In the lead up to the attack Khan and Bangash maintained an air of friendship with Usman, despite the fact that their loyalties had changed.”
The attack on Usman on November 19, 2019 was well planned out, with four men involved in selecting the location of the attack site, and a debrief taking place afterwards.
Usman was driven to a block of garages in Hurstleigh Gardens in Redbridge, and a second car arrived moments after his arrival.
He was attacked in the alleyway between these garages and Owen Waters House. Usman was able to run from the car but he was chased before collapsing on Fullwell Avenue.
Members of the public called police around 10.20pm after they saw a group of men fighting. They reported seeing men with knives attacking Usman, who was calling for help. Following the attack, witnesses described how men fled the scene in different directions before police arrived.
Police found Usman unresponsive after sustaining multiple stab injuries. Officers gave first aid until the paramedics and London’s Air Ambulance arrived on scene. Despite efforts to save his life, Usman died at the scene.
Following a post-mortem examination, cause of death was established as a stab wound to the neck. Usman had also sustained multiple stab wounds across his body.
DC Allen said: “This was a sophisticated plan that was clearly some days in the making. They ensured that had enough stolen vehicles to help them carry out the attack and then attempt to cover their tracks. We also know that the defendants were in and around the area where Usman was killed hours before they launched their attack. There is no doubt that this was a pre-meditated attack.
“CCTV demonstrated they carried out a number of recces to pinpoint where they would carry out each part of their plan, from the attack itself to burn sites and pick up locations. They then all headed before then heading to Swiss Cottage for what we can assume was a debrief after Usman’s murder.”
An eighth man was found not guilty during the 2021 trial.
