TWO men were facing life imprisonment today after a jury found them guilty of executing two teenagers in a Milton Keynes alleyway.
Mohammed Abdi Farah, 19, and Amin Ahmed Ismail, 18, were shot dead in a dispute over “drug turf”, Luton Crown Court had heard.
Sharmake Abdulkadir, pictured below, 22, of The Fleet, Springfield, Milton Keynes and Fuad Awale, pictured top, 25, of no fixed address were both found guilty of two counts of murder.
Yahya Harun, 22, of Fishermead Boulevard, Milton Keynes was acquitted of the murders, which happened on the night of 26 May 2011 on the Fishermead Estate.
Mohammed died at the scene and Amin was pronounced dead in hospital.
The dead teenagers and the three men who had been on trial were all of Somali origin.
Prosecutors said the accused were part of a gang of five, two of whom were not in court.
Abdulkadir was also convicted by the jury of possessing a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence.
He and Awale are to be sentenced on Friday .
During the trial the court was told the teenagers were gunned down in an alleyway after one of them handed out a drug dealer’s cannabis for free.
Mohammed was pronounced dead at the scene. Amin was taken to hospital and pronounced dead after all attempts to save his life failed.
Baljit Ubhey OBE, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: “We have worked closely with Thames Valley Police since this investigation was launched. This case involved the deliberate shooting of two young men at point blank range.
“CCTV and DNA evidence were crucial to this case. At the trial the defendants blamed each other for the murders, but the jury found Fuad Awale and Sharmake Abdulkadir guilty of the murders despite their denials. The CPS praises the strength and courage of all the witnesses who gave evidence during the trial.
“As a result of the hard work and diligence of the prosecution team, a just outcome has been achieved for the victims and their family and friends. We hope that the convictions and sentences will in some way help them come to terms with this tragic event and move forward with their lives.
“However, no matter how long the prison sentences are, we acknowledge that nothing can make up for the loss felt by the family and friends of the victims and our thoughts are very much with them at this time.”
Insp Andy O’Hanlon, of the neighbourhood team for the Fishermead estate, said: “The shootings were an awful and tragic incident for the estate, but the community has proved to be resilient and is now moving forward.
“Local officers and PCSOs are working closely with residents and our partners to help reduce crime and the fear of crime on the estate, which is producing results.
“We work directly with the parish council and other partner agencies to directly support the community, such as joint funding for the MK Somali Community Association which enables us to provide engagement officers, whose role is to improve links with the local Somalian community.”
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