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Men guilty of church drive-by shooting murder

Adina Campbell,UK correspondent, Old Baileyand
Anthea Lee
Family handout A young woman wearing gold jewellery smiles. She is standing in front of a forest.Family handout
Michelle Sadio was standing among mourners following a wake when she was shot

Two men have been found guilty of murdering a woman in a drive-by shooting near a church in north-west London.

Michelle Sadio had been attending a wake at the River of Life Pentecostal Church in Harlesden when a car approached and four shots were fired at a group of mourners in December 2024.

The 44-year-old was caught in the crossfire and died at the scene. Two other men were also injured, leaving one of them paralysed.

Perry Allen-Thomas and Amir Salem have been convicted of murder and attempted murder by a jury at the Old Bailey. They will be sentenced in June.

Met Police Mugshots of Perry Allen-Thomas and Amir Salem Met Police
Perry Allen-Thomas and Amir Salem have been convicted of murder and attempted murder

Sadio, a mother of two, had been among about 100 mourners at the wake for 80-year-old Dianne Boatong.

At about 21:00 GMT, guests were outside on the pavement when a black Kia pulled up and at least four shots were fired into the crowd. It is not known who pulled the trigger.

Sadio, a legal administrator, died at the scene.

Transport for London contractor Kenneth Amoah, 39, was hit in the back and paralysed below the waist, and self-employed Kadeem Francis, 32, was shot in the foot.

Children as young as five were in the crowd at the time of the shooting and the jury was told that Sadio had not been the intended target, who was said to have been a rapper called Trapstar Toxic, real name Adetokunbo Ajibola, 33, who was at the event.

Rapper Shaquille Sutherland, known as Lil Shak, 26, from Wembley, and Tahjin Sommersall, 19, from Feltham, west London, were cleared of wrongdoing.

Det Ch Insp Phil Clarke from the Metropolitan Police described it as "a well-orchestrated attack that had been planned for several months".

He said Sadio had been at the church to support a friend whose relative had died and added: "It speaks of Michelle's personality and character that she was there to support her friend that night and tragically she lost her life through these consequences".

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