Abdul Mayanja: Two guilty of shooting London teenager dead after asking: 'What ends you from?'

Teenager was innocent victim of gang attack on rival area, police say

Braeden Henry (left) and Sean Obazee (right) were convicted after a trial at the Old Bailey (Metropolitan Police)

A pair of gang members who gunned down a teenager in the street after asking him ”what ends you from?” have been found guilty of murder.

Sean Obazee and Braeden Henry, both 25, confronted 19 year-old Abdul Mayanya as he sat on a wall talking to a female friend in Stratford, east London.

One of the pair blasted him in the chest with a sawn-off shotgun before he had a chance to answer their question

The gunmen then returned to a car and drove away from the scene.

A grey Nissan Qashqai was found burning a few miles away in Canning Town in the early hours of the following morning.

Detectives said Abdul was shot by “gang members trying to settle a score in a rival area”.

“Abdul was not a gang member, in fact he was a good boy with a bright future,” said DCI Paul Considine of London's Metropolitan Police. “The actions of Obazee and Henry on that night were beyond callous. They were indiscriminate in who they targeted. Abdul was outnumbered and ambushed and frankly did not stand a chance.”

Obazee collapsed in the dock after he and Henry, both from east London, were convicted of murder following a trial at the Old Bailey.

“I did not know them,” screamed Obazee. “I did not do it. What the f*** fam. I didn’t do it.”

The prosecution claimed the murder was carried out in revenge for an attack of drug dealer Heracles Simos, who survived being shot in the back.

However Mr Simos’ cousins Alex Simos, 20, and Marvin Simos, 22, were cleared of both murder and manslaughter by the jury.

Alex Simos, who identified Obazee and Henry as the men responsible, nodded and smiled at the verdicts, while Marvin Simos laughed and stuck his tongue.

The pair had admitted being in the car before Mr Mayanja was shot on the night of 25 August 2017 but denied any knowledge of the gun.

Abdul Mayanja was murdered on 25 August 2017 in Stratford, east London (Metropolitan Police)

Judge Nigel Lickley QC told Alex Simos he hoped he would resume his academic career.

He told Marvin Simos: “I hope you will reflect on these events and learn from it going forward. I’m not here to lecture you. You have been found not guilty by the jury. You will be released at some point today.”

Kieron Aransibia, 24, and Jade Thrower, 24, also from east London, were cleared of perverting the course of justice. It was alleged they bought petrol to help destroy potential evidence in the Nissan Qashqai.

Obazee and Henry were remanded into custody to be sentenced later this week.

The court heard Abdul, a former RAF cadet who lived with his family had spent the hours before the shooting at a barbecue with friends.

His mother said in a statement: “Abdul’s loss created a massive hole in the family, as he was not only a son but a brother and a friend to those around him. He was a role model to those he associated with. Abdul was very helpful and understanding. He always wore a smile on his face. He is sorely missed by everyone that knew him.

“I will never forget the pain and disappointment he must have endured in his last moments. I don’t understand why anyone would want to harm him and that for us as parents will haunt us for a lifetime.”

Additional reporting by Press Association