Lekan Akinsoji, 27, brutally stabbed a gang rival while wearing a clown mask and was found to have “executed” the victim’s brother years before, a court heard today
A killer who stabbed a gang rival to death in an off-licence before hunting down other victims with a shotgun while wearing a clown mask has been jailed.
Lekan Akinsoji, 27, is one of the most violent members of the North Newham gang, whose members have stabbed and murdered people across east London for years. He was previously jailed in 2019 when he shot at armed officers who fired at his car.
Akinsoji has now been jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years for the murder of 24-year-old Ahmed Deen Jah in 2017. Speaking at the Old Bailey in central London, prosecutor Anthony Orchard said: “His white face reminded the officer of the Hollywood film ‘Heat’ and it looked like a clown’s face.”
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Officer later learned he “executed” Ahmed Dean Jah, 24, back in 2017. Akinsoji admitted to being a member of the Woodrange gang and Jah was a leading member of the Custom House gang. The victim’s younger brother ‘Junior’ Abubakarr Jah, 18, was stabbed and shot dead in Custom House in April 2021.
Akinsoji and Keita both denied murder but were convicted of murdering Ahmed Deen Jah by an Old Bailey jury. Akinsoji was jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years while Keita was jailed for life with a minimum of at least 22 years.
Judge Anthony Leonard, KC, said: “While there is no getting away from the fact that Ahmed Deen Jah was also a gang member, no one deserves to die because of that.” He said the family have had to deal with two trials after the death of two sons and have sat through both in ‘dignified silence’.
“You Akinsoji chased your victim into an off-license and there stabbed him brutally to the heart,” the judge said. “There was no prospect he could survive that attack and he collapsed quickly.
“You Keita were on hand to help and played a full part in the attack. You offending has to be looked at in the context of the murders, shootings and stabbings carried out by the gangs you were associated with and the Custom House gang in the period leading up to April 2017.”
A man in the public gallery shouted “f****** corrupt” after the judge passed sentence. Mr Orchard said Mr Jah was killed when he left his home to buy a lighter at BJ Wines, on Freemasons Road.
“As he did so, a stolen black Mercedes had just parked nearby. Two men, wearing all black clothing, balaclavas, and gloves, got out from the passenger side of that vehicle,” he added. “Ahmed Deen Jah left the shop, and walked down an alleyway next to it. As he reached the far end of alleyway, he was seen and he saw the two men who had just emerged from the car.
“Seconds later he ran back down the alleyway and into the shop he had just been. He was being chased by both men. He ran back into BJ Wines. The taller of the two males entered the shop after Ahmed Deen Jah. The attacker was carrying a large knife.
“There was a desperate struggle around the shop. Ahmed Deen Jah was unable to repel his attacker. He fell to the ground and was stabbed in the heart. The time was 3.24pm. The stabber having achieved his aim, ran from the shop to the waiting getaway car.”
The stabbing was captured on CCTV. Mr Orchard added: “The London Ambulance service attended BJ Wines. Despite medical assistance, Ahmed Deen Jah was pronounced life extinct at the scene at 3.49pm on 2 April 2017.
“This killing was not a spontaneous act of violence, but an attack planned against a background of street violence between two East London gangs, North Newham, which was consisted of three smaller local gangs from the north of Newham Borough, and Custom House, which was in the South Newham area, and to which Ahmed Deen Jah was linked. Those in the black Mercedes had been on a ‘ride-out – driving to an opposing gangs’ area looking for rival gang members, or perceived members, to attack.”
Ahmed Deen Jah had been attacked in his local off-licence. He lived about 150 metres away from it. Ahmed Deen Jah had eight convictions for 22 offences including drug dealing and violence.
Keita is known by the street name ‘SK’ and was arrested in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire on 10 April 2017. He was found in possession of two parcels of class A drugs and money was found hidden in the insole of one of his trainers. He also had a new phone with him that had been activated after the murder and a half-completed passport application and a piece of paper with West African telephone numbers on it. James Scobie, KC, representing Akinsoji, said that in 2017 there was “gang warfare between local rival gangs where young men were basically at war”. He went on to say: “It’s a huge pity that this defendant Akinsoji was not tried and convicted for the matter years ago.”
He added: “Had he been tried years ago as a teenager he would already be serving life sentence and would not have had the issue in respect of the second matter and he would be a long way down line to rehabilitation.”
Mr Scobie said Akinsoji was brought up in a “grim role through no fault of his family who are decent people.” He added: “He’s an articulate, intelligent man who in better days and better times and opportunities would have chosen a more constructive way to lead his life.”
Ian Henderson, KC, representing Keita, said he had not commited any offences of violence i nthe eight years it had taken him to be convicted of the murder. Akinsoji had gone on the clown ride-out with Darnell Joseph-Newill, then 21, Nathaniel Lewis, 23, and Troy Ifill, 22.
The four were ‘tooled up’ with a sawn-off shotgun along with a ‘Zombie’ knife and a pickaxe as they drove through the rival gang’s territory. The BMW had been kitted out with false plates and the group ditched their phones to try and avoid their movements being tracked.
But the group were spotted by an armed police patrol who pursued them in a mile-long chase through the streets of Leytonstone. Front seat passenger Akinsoji wearing a white clown mask, took aim with the shotgun and the officer behind the wheel pulled out his Glock and fired four shots through the BMW’s windscreen.
His colleagues also fired their weapons, but the dramatic shoot-out was only ended when the car was blocked by an oncoming vehicle after turning the wrong way down a one-way street. All four men denied possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and conspiring to cause GBH with intent but were unanimously convicted by the jury. Joseph-Newill, Ilfil and Lewis were each jailed for 26 years.
