Two men jailed for life for drive-by murder

Two men have been jailed for life for murdering a woman who was shot in a drive-by attack outside a wake in north-west London.

Mother-of-two Michelle Sadio had been at the River of Life Pentecostal Church in Willesden on 14 December 2024 when a car approached and four shots were fired at those gathered. Sadio, 44, died at the scene, while another mourner was left paralysed below the waist.

At the Old Bailey, drug dealer Perry Allen-Thomas, 27, was handed a minimum term of 38 years and 20-year-old Amir Salem was given 26 years.

Sentencing them, Mrs Justice McGowan said "a murder was intended and planned" and that the men had been part of a "terrifying tragedy".

She said what had started out as a "happy, family-orientated" occasion turned into a "terrible tragedy".

In a victim impact statement he read out in court, the murder victim's widower Jean-Marie Sadio, who worked at the same law firm as his wife, described her as "the pillar" of his family who had the "biggest and loudest laugh".

"She was the friend and partner you wished to have in your life. I know that half of me has gone. I am broken and will never be the same man again."

He also said that their two children reminded him of "the best" of Michelle and that they "ask for her perfume so they can still smell her".

Addressing the defendants in the dock, he said: "Today, you stand guilty before all but, most importantly, you stand forgiven.

Do not burden yourself with guilt but an unquenchable and determined desire to change. If you succeed in this, you would have repaid society."

A victim impact statement was also read out on behalf of Sadio's father, who said that his daughter was "a brilliant mother, a leader and incredibly intelligent" but added that their lives "had crumbled".

Sadio had gone to the wake, mainly attended by members of the Ghanaian community, to honour the life of 80-year-old Dianne Boatong who had died 10 days earlier.

Children as young as five were in the crowd at the time of the shooting, in which two men were injured. Transport for London contractor Kenneth Amoah, 39, was hit in the back and left paralysed, while self-employed Kadeem Francis, 32, received a foot injury.

The intended target was said to have been a rapper called Trapstar Toxic, real name Adetokunbo Ajibola, 33, who was at the event, the court heard.

Salem, from Wembley, who was 18 at the time of the attack, was seen on CCTV buying petrol for the stolen car which was driven on false number-plates and used to carry out the shooting. The car was later set alight.

Jurors were told that Allen-Thomas, also from Wembley, had recruited younger members of a gang to carry out the shooting, which happened at about 21:00 GMT, and was deliberately not present at the time.

Allen-Thomas had a string of drugs convictions and gang associations. The weapon fired in the attack had been used twice before in previous months, and was said to be a "gang gun".

It is not known who pulled the trigger. Two other men fled the country after the attack and remain at large.

Shaquille Sutherland and Tahjin Sommersall, who were also on trial for their alleged involvement in the attack, were cleared of any wrongdoing.