A battle between Turkish gangs in London led to a nine-year-old girl being shot in the brain, the Old Bailey has heard.
Attempted “assassinations” during a long-running feud left three men seriously injured, the court was told.
A gunman on a Ducati Monster motorcycle fired six shots, hitting Kenan Aydogdu, 45, Mustafa Kiziltan, 38, and Nasser Ali, 43, as they sat outside the Evin restaurant in Dalston, east London, in May last year. The men are associated with the Hackney Turks, also known as the Bombacilar (Bombers), the court heard.
The gunman was filmed on CCTV
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The nine-year-old, who cannot be named, was dining in the restaurant with her family when she was hit in the head by a stray bullet. Sections of her skull had to be removed and replaced with a titanium plate, and she will have physical and cognitive difficulties throughout her life.
Javon Riley, 33, allegedly assisted the gunman, who has not been apprehended. Riley, from Tottenham, north London, denies four counts of attempted murder and an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm to the child.
The court heard that while he was not a member of the Tottenham Turks, covertly recorded conversations show he was linked to the gang and that they were behind the shooting.
Riley is alleged to have driven a stolen car past Evin on several occasions to ensure the target or targets were present before the gunman travelled from southeast London. He was also involved in weeks of surveillance of the restaurant before the shooting, the court was told.
The prosecution claims that Riley also helped the gunman escape and must have been involved in the disposal of the firearm, which he may have provided.
During one of the covert recordings, Riley “mentioned that his man had ‘missed’ and that the result had been the shooting of a young girl”, the court was told.
He also allegedly discussed the murder of Izzet Eren, who was linked to the Tottenham Turks. Eren was shot dead in Moldova in what was believed to be a revenge attack in July last year.
Riley also discussed a man called “Kem”. It is believed to be a reference to Kemal Eren, a leader of the Tottenham Turks, the court heard.
James Mulholland KC, for the prosecution, said: “These two gangs have had an intense rivalry for well over a decade, which has involved the use of extreme violence towards one another during that period. It is the prosecution case that what was intended was the murder of whomever was targeted. This was a planned assassination of members of a rival gang.”
He added: “It is clear from all the evidence that Javon Riley knew this was a job for individuals connected with Tottenham Turks, the level of violence required and the aim was to kill those seated outside the restaurant and played an integral part in setting the scene so that this came about. The only reason someone did not die that night was luck and had nothing to do with Mr Riley.”
On the night of the attack, Ali arrived at the restaurant at 7.58pm with Beytullah Gunduz, 38, an associate from the Hackney Turks. Kiziltan and Aydogdu arrived by 8.18pm. They all sat at the same table on the pavement.
Minutes later, a stolen car, allegedly driven by Riley, passed the restaurant. It made a return trip 21 minutes later.
Mulholland said: “The delay in returning strongly indicates the vehicle stopped nearby and that Mr Riley, having confirmed his sighting of those at the restaurant on foot, made contact with the gunman directly or indirectly on a phone that has not been recovered to inform him that the target or targets were at the restaurant.”
The Ducati, which was stolen more than two years earlier, began its journey at Nunhead in Southwark. Gunduz left the group at 9.02pm. The gunman on the motorcycle arrived at 9.19pm and fired six shots.
The trial continues.