A gang member who killed a promising young athlete in south-east London has been jailed for a minimum of 30 years the BBC reported on Thursday. Sodiq Adeojo, 20, of Shurland Gardens, Peckham, was found guilty at the Old Bailey in December 2011 of murdering Sylvester Akapalara, 17.He was chased by youths armed with a gun and knives and found bleeding to death in a stairwell on the Pelican Estate in Peckham in December 2010. In sentencing, the judge attacked the “mindless” violence of gang culture.
The court heard that Adeojo was a member of a gang who were looking for rival gang members when they came across Sylvester and his friends. Judge Timothy Pontius said, “Such is the prevailing culture in areas of London that young men, and mere boys, for whatever reason, seem to be attracted and stimulated by the idea of belonging to a group that does not recognise accepted boundaries of decent human behaviour.”
During the trial, the court heard Sylvester was shot in the chest and neck.Two of his friends, who were with him, were stabbed as they tried to force their way through the main door of the block of flats, which was guarded by some of the youths.
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