Two arrests on firearms issues in Newham

THE RECENT MURDER of Corey Davis highlights the worryingly high level of gun and knife crime taking place in Newham over the summer. Just before Corey’s  murder, detectives from the Met Police Trident initiative made some progress in finding some suspected perpetrators and bringing them to justice.

At the end of August they obtained search warrants for addresses in Plaistow and East Ham. They were supported by police officers from Newham and from the Specialist Firearms Command in carrying out the searches, and two men – one aged 18 and one aged 19 – were arrested in connection with three incidents on suspicion of attempted murders

The incidents involved were as follows.

•The discharge of a shotgun in Barking Road, E16, late in the afternoon of 24th August, in which no one was injured.

•A shooting, with a shotgun, near Viking Gardens, E6 on the early evening of 24th August. Two men, both aged 21, were inured and remain in hospital with serious injuries.

•A shooting in Prince Regents Lane, E16, on the afternoon of 26th August which injured two 19 year old men – one in the foot; and one, who was in a nearby property, in the shoulder. The victims were taken to different East London hospitals. The first victim has been discharged and the latter remained longer in hospital for treatment, though his condition was stable.

The two arrested men later appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court. Awadeh Saleh, 18, of Chesterton Terrace E13, and Cameron Johnson, 19, of Frinton Road, E6 were charged with attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of an imitation firearm in a public place and taking and driving away. In addition Saleh was charged with driving while disqualified and without insurance, and Johnson as charged with possession of a prohibited weapon (namely a firearm less than 30-60cm long).

Detective Superintendent Neil Matthews, from Newham Borough, said, “We are painfully aware of the recent firearms incidents in our borough that are blighting our communities. In response to this we have increased uniformed and non-uniformed policing resources. We have being deploying patrols across the borough drawn from our own local teams and specialist departments across the Met, with a view to detecting offences and attempting to prevent offending where possible.

“We will continue to utilize all methods at our disposal and work with Trident, and other areas of the Met, in bringing to justice those who use violence, and particularly those who use or seek to use firearms as part of their criminal activity in our borough.”

Detective Superintendent Mark Maberly, from the Trident and Area Crime Command, said, “The investigation of a number of recent firearms and gang related offences in Newham Borough continues as a priority. They can be complex investigations and I am pleased we have begun to see arrests as a result of today’s proactive operation. However, there is much more work to be done and we need the public’s assistance to make our Communities safer.”

•If you have witnessed anything or have any other information which can help police fight gun crime in East London and protect innocent victims, contact the Trident and Area Command via 101.  Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800-555 111, where you can give information anonymously.

•Read more about it:
Corey: 14 and dead in Newham gang revenge attack
Murder in Manor Park

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