A man who carried out a drive by shooting in east London in August 2021, leaving one man dead and another seriously injured, has been jailed.
On Thursday, 15 December, a jury at the Old Bailey returned guilty verdicts following a trial that began on Monday, 28 November 2022.
Deon Brisport, 30 (31.08.92) of Lauriston Road, E9 appeared alongside Dean Adams, 32 (27.06.90) of Stevenage Road, E6 having been charged with the murder of 20-year-old Otas Sarkus.
Otas was shot twice in the head during at attack on the night of 18 August 2021. Brisport and Adams were also found guilty of the attempted murder of a second man.
Otas was standing with a group of friends in Raymond Road near Upton Park Station when they saw a white Volvo SUV being driven at speed.
The driver swerved towards them and hit a couple of parked cars as he did so.
Some of the group started to run but as the Volvo pulled alongside them, a window was wound down and multiple shots were fired. Otas was struck twice in the eye and another man, aged 18, was struck in the back.
Both victims were taken to hospital. The second man survived his injuries but Otas sadly died.
Brisport was jailed for life with a minimum of 32 years for the murder, and 25 years for the attempted murder, to run concurrently.
Detective Inspector Louise Caveen, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said:
“This was a premeditated attack with sophisticated preparation and planning. It had all the hallmarks of professional criminal activity. The victim and his friends did nothing to provoke this attack and it is possible they were not the intended targets, although the motive of Brisport is still not known.
“My thoughts are with the family of Otas who have suffered the most terrible loss. I pay tribute to their strength through these proceedings, which they have attended with dignity throughout. I hope they can take some comfort from the sentence handed down today.”
The court heard how the Volvo used in the attack was dumped and set alight just over half a mile away in an effort to conceal evidence. It was also found to be displaying cloned number plates.
A forensic examination of the Volvo found gunshot residue near the rear passenger window. A jacket found on the back seat had Adams’ DNA on it.
The DNA was not the only evidence linking the defendants to the car.
Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command found out that the car had been given a parking ticket in the morning of 18 August, which confirmed where it had been parked.
CCTV footage was then obtained showing Adams and Brisport arriving together to collect it.
The investigation identified three phones, all of which were activated for the first time on the afternoon of the murder. They were only used for less than a six-hour period and were turned off just after midnight.
The phones were only used to contact each other and to book minicabs that assisted in taking Adams and Brisport away from the area of where the Volvo was dumped after the shooting.
It appears the use of pay as you go phones was a conscious effort to frustrate any future investigation. Analysis of their normal phones showed that neither were used at the time of the attack or in the lead up to it.
Adams will be sentenced at a date yet to be set.
