A gang who shot the wrong man when a gun was fired through a letter box in a drug war have been jailed for a combined total of 100 years.
Ahmed Oke was out of his flat in South Oxhey, Watford at the time and it was a guest, Shaun Smith, who ended up taking a bullet in the thigh.
Today Andrew Bright QC jailed Anthony McLaughlin, Christopher Kerr, Leon Usher and Wayne Holness each for 25 years following their conviction for conspiracy to murder Mr Oke.
During an 11-week trial, a jury at St Albans Crown Court heard that the doorbell of the top-floor flat in Ainsdale Road was rung at 10.35 at night on Thursday, 1 December last year.
Holness was said to have taken the sawed-off shot gun and the ammunition to the scene and either fired it or gave it to someone else
Wayne Holness (left), 23, of no fixed address, was convicted by a majority of 10 to two. He was convicted unanimously of possessing a Class B drug with intent to supply. Leon Usher (right) was not present during the shooting but was said to be involved in the conspiracy
Mr Smith was walking towards the front door in the hallway when the shotgun was fired.
Prosecutor David Aaronberg said: ‘Ahmed Oke was the target, but he was not there. Shaun Smith was staying there and received the impact of shot. Fortunately the premises had a reinforced letter box fitted that absorbed much of impact of shot.
‘Mr Smith suffered a very nasty wound to his leg. Had it not been for the reinforced letter box and the fact that he was standing to the left of the door, he would have been injured extremely seriously or possibly fatally.’
He said Mr Oke was ‘concerned in a number of matters that may have led to him being the target for a revenge attack.’
Mr Aaronberg described him in court as a drugs supplier with an unsavoury reputation.
Prosecutor David Aaronberg said: ‘Ahmed Oke was the target, but he was not there. Shaun Smith was staying there and received the impact of shot. Fortunately the premises had a reinforced letter box fitted that absorbed much of impact of shot’
In January 2016 a car went up in flames outside his home and the fire brigade was asked to put a fire-proof letter box in his flat.
Six weeks before the shooting, on 18 October, a gun was discharged in the street outside his home. The police found a shotgun shell in the street along with a crossbow bolt. When they searched Mr Oke’s flat, a crossbow was found.
Mr Aaronberg told the jury of seven men and five women there had been agreement to kill Mr Oke.
‘The shooting came in the aftermath of communication between them that day. There were lots of telephone calls and lots of texts exchanged,’ he said.
Five men denied conspiracy to murder during the trial.
After deliberating for 65 hours and 51 minutes, the jury at St Albans Crown Court found Anthony McLaughlin, 27, of Baldwins Lane, Watford; Christopher Kerr, 32, of Leslie House, Wyril Road, Lambeth; and Leon Usher, 39, of Bedford Road, Barton-Le-Clay unanimously guilty.
Wayne Holness, 23, of no fixed address, was convicted by a majority of 10 to two. He was convicted unanimously of possessing a Class B drug with intent to supply.
Michael Smith, 25, of John Street, South Norwood was cleared of conspiracy to murder, and an alternative of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. He was also found not guilty of possessing a firearm.
At 8.45 on the night of the shooting Kerr, Holness, Smith and Usher were all in the Stockwell area of London.
Shortly before 9pm, Kerr went in a mini cab to Watford. Holness followed in a car.
While Kerr and Holness went near McLaughlin’s home in Baldwin’s Lane.
They went on to Ainsdale Road while McLaughlin stayed at his home and Usher remained in London.
But even though McLaughlin and Usher were not at the scene of the shooting, Mr Aaronberg said they were part of the shooting conspiracy, being linked through telephone evidence.
‘At half past ten one of the men obtained access to Lalsham House, knocked on the door and fired. The prosecution say the most likely candidate is Mr Holness, but we can’t say precisely,’ he said.
Judge Bright told them: ‘You were all four convicted of conspiring to murder Ahmed Oke who was drug dealing in the Watford area.’
The judge said the home of Anthony McLaughlin (left) was the rendezvous point. He sentenced him to 23 years for the conspiracy plus two more years for possessing cocaine with intent to supply following a separate trial. Right: Christopher Kerr was told the evidence pointed to him going to the flat and recruiting Holness
He said it was fortunate that Mr Smith was standing to one side when the shot was fired, causing a serious, but not life-threatening wound.
The judge said: ‘There can be no doubt the shooting was drug related and the intention was to kill Ahmed Oke.’
Kerr was told the evidence pointed to him going to the flat and recruiting Holness.
Holness was said to have taken the sawed-off shot gun and the ammunition to the scene and either fired it or gave it to someone else. He received 23 years plus two years for possessing cannabis with intent to supply.
The judge said McLaughlin’s home was the rendezvous point. He sentenced him to 23 years for the conspiracy plus 2 more years for possessing cocaine with intent to supply following a separate trial.
At the end of the case the judge commended DC John Wheeler, analyst Kirsty McGowan, DS Graham Paul and DI Justine Jenkins for their work on the case.