18-Year-Old Nigerian Man To Spend 15 Years In UK Prison For Firearms Offences

Daniel Fakoya, 18, of Priory Court, E17 was sentenced to 15 years in jail and a further three years on the licence, following a hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday, 11 October.

He was jailed for firearms offences after shots were discharged in Leyton.

He must serve a minimum of 10 years of his sentence.

Fakoya was previously found guilty of the following offences on 10 September at the conclusion of a trial at the same court: conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life [17 December 2018]; conspiracy to possess ammunition without a firearm certificate [17 Dec]; conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with indent [17 Dec]; conspiracy to have an offensive weapon namely two bottles of ammonia [17 Dec]; conspiracy to have an article with a blade of point [17 Dec]; conspiracy to supply controlled drugs of class A [5 Oct – 14 Feb 2018]; possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life; [5 Oct]; and possessing ammunition with intent to endanger life [5 Oct].

He also pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking.

The court heard how on 17 December 2018 at around 11 pm, Fakoya was one of three males who arrived in Leyton High Road in a Volvo car. They saw a group of males on the street and shots were fired from the car.

The group scattered but Fakoya and his associates chased two males into an off licence. However, once inside they could not find them and left.

They jumped back into the car and sped away from the scene. However, within five minutes the car had crashed into a shop front in St James’ Street, E17. Fakoya and the other occupants fled the vehicle.

Officers arrived at the scene and searched the abandoned car – within it they found a handgun, ammunition and two bottles of ammonia. The handgun was located in the driver’s footwell.

A forensic examination of the car revealed Fakoya’s blood on the driver’s airbag and also just outside the car, indisputably linking him to the car and the items inside.

Further investigation established the car had been stolen ten days earlier during a burglary in Essex on 7 December.

Work began to track down Fakoya and he was subsequently arrested on 14 February – he was charged the following day for his role in the incident.

It transpired that Fakoya was already under investigation for a separate incident where another handgun and a quantity of class A drugs had been found at an address linked to him following a raid by officers from the North East Command Unit in October 2018.

Fakoya was also charged with these offences.

Detective Sergeant John Macleod from Trident, part of the Specialist Crime Command, led the investigation and said: “Fakoya’s reckless actions on the night of 17 December in discharging a firearm in a public place could potentially have had fatal consequences and it is only by sheer luck that no one was seriously hurt.

“The motive for the events of that night appeared to have been gang-related – Fakoya and his associates looking to settle scores with their perceived rivals.

“Our work continues to trace the others who were in the car with Fakoya that night. His conviction should serve as a clear message to them that we will continue to track down dangerous individuals and put them behind bars where they belong.”

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