Three Men Jailed for Shocking Northolt Shotgun Attack
Leon De’Silva, 23, Rached Itani, 21, and Yasser Ibrahim, 25, have been locked up for 27 years each following a terrifying shotgun attack in Northolt. The trio were sentenced at the Old Bailey on Thursday, 15 July.
Another man, Lielay Areguy, 30, was handed an 18-year jail term at the same hearing. All four were found guilty back in May after a brutal incident that left a man shot in the chest.
Shotgun Blast at 11pm Knock
The attack happened late on 6 March 2019. At around 11pm, two men arrived at a flat in Academy Gardens, Northolt, driving a stolen Range Rover Evoque. They knocked on the door. When a woman inside answered, one of the men greeted her with a creepy “Hello darling”.
Worried, as they weren’t expecting visitors, she stepped back inside. Her boyfriend saw two men lurking by the door. The letterbox suddenly went dark – someone was covering it.
Then came the bang. The man was blasted in the chest with a shotgun. His girlfriend called for an ambulance while the attackers fled at speed.
High-Speed Police Chase Ends in Arrests
Police investigating the shooting spotted the stolen Range Rover driving recklessly that same night. A high-speed chase followed, with the suspects refusing to stop and reaching dangerous speeds.
The pursuit ended with the arrests of De’Silva, the driver, and passenger Itani. De’Silva wore a balaclava; Itani hid body armour and carried a knife sheath. Officers found two large knives inside the car.
Further searches at their homes recovered mobile phones, knives, and a machete. Forensics linked the Range Rover to the shooting.
Forensic Evidence Seals Their Fate
Phone data showed the Range Rover was near the shooting scene minutes before and after the attack. Itani claimed he wasn’t at the scene, saying De’Silva picked him up from nearby Elsham Road in the stolen car.
De’Silva said he stumbled into the vehicle after seeing two men jump out of it on the street.
Meanwhile, phone analysis linked Areguy to the conspiracy; he helped scout the target earlier that night. Ibrahim’s fingerprints were found in the stolen vehicle, and phone records proved his contact with the group.
All four men will now serve long jail terms for their roles in this violent crime that shook the community.
