Sheikh Dibba, 21 of Central Street, Islington, and Fahim Rahman, 34 , of Moreland Street, Islington, left three people with life-changing injuries after they fired 13 shots at a group of people in a children’s play park in Hackney in October 2020.
A jury found the pair guilty of three counts of attempted murder and possession of a firearm following a three-week trial at the Central Criminal Court.
On 4 May, Dibba was sentenced to 35 years’ imprisonment while Rahman was jailed for 27 years.
The court heard that on 11 October 2020, Dibba and Rahman drove a stolen car to a property on Homerton High Street, Hackney, in what was described as a motivated and planned attack to kill rival gang members.
When they got there, they shot at three men they presumed were members of a rival gang. They were, in fact, innocent members of the public socialising in the park.
Emergency services were called shortly before 10.50pm to reports of a shooting. Two men, aged 60 and 32, were taken to hospital and were deemed not life-threatening. A third man, aged 24, was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition.
Trident detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command immediately launched an investigation to find those responsible.
As a result of a thorough investigation, which saw officers poring over hours of CCTV, Dibba and Fahim Rahman were linked to the offence. Dibba was arrested on 27 November and charged with three counts of attempted murder and firearms offences. Rahman had previously been arrested on 25 November and released on bail. He was later charged on 11 January 2021 .
Detective Chief Inspector Rob Allen, in charge of the investigation, said: “This was a terrifying incident in which three completely innocent people were left with serious injuries. It is pure luck that nobody was killed. Had it happened any earlier that evening, the likelihood is there would’ve been lots of children in the park – that doesn’t bear thinking about.
“I am pleased with the outcome and I hope the sentences imposed send a strong message to those involved in firearms criminality. Your actions are reprehensible and we will seek to bring you to justice.
“This investigation demonstrates the commitment the Met has to holding violent offenders to account and making the streets of London safer. I would like to thank my investigation team for all their hard work during the course of this complex investigation. I would also like to thank the victims for their co-operation and the strength they have shown through what has been a horrific ordeal for each of them. I hope this outcome brings them some comfort.
“The Met is committed to reducing violent crime. However, we also rely on our communities to help us and I would urge anyone with information about someone who may be carrying a weapon to contact police immediately.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett, responsible for local policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, added: “Understandably, this shocking incident will have caused great concern within the local community – and rightly so. Fortunately, firearms discharges are extremely rare, and I would like to assure residents that tackling violence remains the Met’s top priority.
“If you have any concerns, or have any information about someone who could be carrying a weapon, do come and speak to us whether in person or anonymously.
“We will continue to work closely with our Specialist Crime colleagues on tackling violent crime and will do everything we can to assist them in bringing such dangerous offenders to justice.”
