Three Jailed for Playground Shooting in Khan’s London

Shibbir Ahmed, Shamrat Hussain, and Forid Farhad have been handed jail sentences for the shooting of four people at a children’s playground in Sadiq Khan’s London.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard how police were called to reports of a shooting in Brady Street, Whitechapel, East London, at around 10.20pm on July 15, 2016.

The trio was convicted of a number of offences following a seven-week trial, during which Snaresbrook Crown Court heard emergency services found four men suffering shotgun wounds after the shooting.

An investigation into the incident by Operation Trident, a Metropolitan police branch tasked with dealing with gang and gun crime, and Area Crime Command found that Ahmed, 27, and Farhad, 22, had entered Brady Street at 10.15pm and approached a group of men who were congregating in a children’s play area situated on the street.

The pair were seen approaching the group before Ahmed pointed his weapon at the men and proceeded to fire it. CCTV showed the gunman entering a vehicle driven by Hussain, 32, after he and Farhad fled the scene at Brady Street on foot.

Sentencing the men, who were each found guilty of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, two counts of wounding with intent and two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm., Judge Oscar Del Fabbro said the trio were “dangerous offenders”.

On Thursday, Ahmed was jailed for 21 years, Hussain for 17 years, and Farhad for 15 years, according to a Metropolitan Police press release.

After the sentencing Detective Sergeant Colin Hill said the Met was “very pleased with the sentencing”, adding that he hoped it would “send a clear message to anyone considering carrying or using a weapon” and “increase confidence within the local community where this offence was committed”.

“One of the victims sustained serious injuries on the right hand side of his body, covering his right upper leg, hip and stomach area and all around his right forearm and elbow.

“Three dangerous men have been taken off the streets,” he said, urging the public to come forward and tell police if they suspect someone of possessing a firearm.

Despite Britain having some of the most draconian anti-firearms legislation in the world, gun crime has soared in recent years, rising 42 percent in Mayor Khan’s London between 2016 and 2017.