Three men have been handed lengthy prison sentences after a brutal daylight attack in which a teenager was shot and stabbed.
Caleb Wallace, 18, of Beam Avenue, Barking and Dagenham, and Hayat Umar, 18, of Stern Close, Barking and Dagenham, were sentenced at the Old Bailey on Thursday to 19 years each for attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent and possession of a knife.
Joshua Amoaka, 18, of Cornflower Road, Chelmsford, was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent, and possession of a knife.
All three had their sentences reduced by between a third and half because they were under 18 when they committed the offences.
The court heard that on Thursday, 2 May 2024, the 18-year-old victim was cycling along Whalebone Lane South in Dagenham when Wallace, Umar, and Amoaka jumped from a vehicle and chased him.
As he tried to flee, the victim collided with a passer-by and fell from his bike. CCTV footage shown to the jury captured Umar firing a sawn-off shotgun at point-blank range into the victim's back before Wallace stabbed him with a machete. Amoaka was seen nearby during the attack, which occurred in full view of horrified witnesses.
Emergency services treated the victim at the scene before rushing him to hospital. He required multiple significant surgeries and spent extensive time recovering from his severe injuries.
Detective Inspector Iain Wallace, from the Specialist Crime Command, said: “The brutality displayed by Wallace and Umar, while Amoaka stood menacingly by, all in broad daylight and in full view of passers-by is shocking.
“This has been an incredibly distressing time for the victim and his family. Equally, many of those who witnessed such a vicious attack will still be deeply traumatised and concerned about safety in the community.
“I hope these lengthy sentences will give the victim some small sense of closure, and allow those in the community to feel safer knowing that Wallace, Umar, and Amoaka are no longer on the streets.”
A large-scale manhunt was launched immediately after the attack, with detectives interviewing witnesses and reviewing hours of CCTV footage to track the attackers' movements.
Wallace and Umar were arrested at a property in Kent on 10 May 2024, where officers found distinctive clothing and the machete used during the attack. Amoaka was arrested a week later in Birmingham, where police discovered class A drugs and a hunting knife.
Hats worn by Wallace and Amoaka during the attack, recovered from the scene, provided DNA evidence linking them directly to the crime.
Investigators also uncovered TikTok videos in which associates of the attackers openly mocked the victim and claimed responsibility, further solidifying the prosecution's case.
