Drug dealer involved in shooting of innocent 22-year-old is jailed

Drug dealer involved in shooting of innocent 22-year-old over Rolex robbery that had nothing to do with him is jailed for 13 years

• Imani Allaway-Muir, 22, was murdered after a man’s expensive watch was stolen
• James Nicholson, 36, was sentenced and jailed today for manslaughter 
• His sentence follows that of four others involved in the incident

A drug dealer involved in the murder of an innocent man in a revenge plot over a stolen Rolex has been jailed for 13 years.

Imani Allaway-Muir, 22, was ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ when he was gunned down in front of children near a playground in Islington, north London in July 2020.   

The killers had used a Find My Phone app to locate the last known location of an iPhone taken in the robbery and travelled there intent on revenge.

Although four of the men involved in his death have already been sentenced, James Nicholson, 36, was sentenced for his role in the incident today. 

James Nicholson, 36, was sentenced and jailed today for manslaughter for his involvement in the death of Imani Allaway-Muir

The Islington-man is receiving 13 years imprisonment for manslaughter and must serve two-thirds of his sentence before being considered for parole.   

His 13 year sentence also reflects two additional charges for being concerned in the supply of cannabis and cocaine that arose out of the evidence from the trial. 

Speaking to Nicholson today, the Common Serjeant of London Judge Richard Marks said: ‘You were substantially involved in Kyriacou’s business. You worked for him most days delivering drugs and you got a bit less than 50 per cent of the profit.

‘During trial you conceded that he was for all intents and purposes your boss. You also told the jury that you had some of your own clients. In any event, word very quickly spread about the fate that had befallen him in the robbery, so all of the accused arrived at his flat.

‘You claimed throughout your trial that the only purpose of this was to check if he was okay. In my judgement that was manifestly untrue.’

Nathaniel Reece, 40, who pulled the trigger, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 33 years and two months. 

Darren Dredge, 40 and Matthew Hardy, 35, were both sentenced to life with minimum terms of 10 and seven and a half years for manslaughter, respectively. 

Demetrios Kyriacou, 35, who planned the hit, was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 31 years. 

Kyriacou’s sentence also reflected convictions for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, which he admitted. 

Judge Marks stated that Kyriacou was ‘fired up and aggressive’ following the robbery. 

After the killers began to search for the phone, they met a group of young men they suspected were the robbers. 

He continued: ‘Kyriacou maintained to the jury that the robbery and drugs was just something that happens. He says he was calm and accepting of the situation. I say this is far off the mark and not the reality of how drug dealers operate.’

Imani Allaway-Muir, 22, was ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ when he was gunned down in front of children near a playground in Islington, north London in July 2020

‘A number of youths started to run and your group open fired, indiscriminately discharging 15 bullets.

‘There is no evidence whatsoever that he [Imani] had in fact been involved in that robbery, he just had the grave misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.’

The gun used to kill Imani was never recovered and still remains in unlawful circulation.

Mr Allaway-Muir’s mother Keetha Allaway previously read a victim impact statement to court, calling her son ‘my eldest child but my biggest baby.’

His father Jason Muir stood beside her wearing an Arsenal jacket and holding a photograph of their son.

Delivering her comments looking straight at the killers in the dock she said: ‘I don’t know how to express this pain to all of you who’ve taken my life.

‘My son was a beautiful young man so full of life.

‘Now, every time I close my eyes all I see is my son’s lifeless body covered in blood.’

His mother stressed that he ‘did nothing wrong and was innocent’, going out that day with ‘no knowledge of any robbery’. 

She continued: ‘It kills me to think of how scared he was when he saw them appear and shoot him. I know by the route he ran away he was trying to make his way home to me.

The killers had used a Find My Phone app to locate the last known location of an iPhone taken in the robbery and travelled there intent on revenge

‘Not only did I have to witness him dying but so did both of his young brothers and his two little sisters.

‘The day all of you took this amazing boy’s life you not only destroyed his life but that of my other children. They have been crying daily due to the loss of their big brother.

‘I was once filled with such happiness and joy but now I can barely leave the house because I am consumed with sadness.

‘My little girl thinks it’s normal to be at a cemetery every day, she was only one when her brother was murdered.’

Brandishing the photo of her son towards the killers, she added: ‘A handsome young man, this young man.

‘Look at him! Lying in a casket is something no parent should ever have to see.

‘No mother should ever have to bury their son. I can only ever dream what he would have become.’

Members of the killer’s families, sat in the public gallery, walked out in tears as she spoke.

After hearing the speech, Reece instructed his lawyer to not put forward any mitigation to the judge on his behalf and asked that he was not given any credit for his guilty plea.

Prosecutor Jacob Hallam KC earlier said: ‘It was on Saturday 4 July in 2020 at 19 minutes past three that Imani Allaway-Muir was shot dead.

‘He was shot dead in a play area at the end of a residential cul-de-sac in London.

‘The shooting was witnessed by several members of the public who happened to be in the area including young people.

‘The emergency services were called, they arrived at the scene and found Imani being looked after by members of the public.’

By that stage he was unconscious and despite the efforts of the London ambulance service he was pronounced dead at 3.49pm, 30 minutes after he had been shot.

The prosecutor continued: ‘A post-mortem examination revealed four bullet wounds, one to the right buttock, one to the left forearm, one to the left shoulder, and the last a glancing wound to the left ear.

‘It was the first of those wounds, to the right buttock, which was fatal to Imani.

‘This killing was revenge for a robbery in which Imani had played no part whatsoever.’

Mr Hallam said the killers had met at Kyriacou’s Islington flat on the 6 Acres estate to discuss the planned shooting.

He said: ‘Down the alleyway they went, out of the alleyway they came, and there Mr Reece shot Imani Allaway-Muir dead.

‘When Reece opened fire, Imani Allaway-Muir was in the wrong place at the wrong time.’

Reece admitted murder while Kyriacou and others were convicted by an Old Bailey jury at trial in May.

The court heard that Reece, Kyriacou and Dredge were ‘prolific drug dealers’ and that Kyriacou would purchase between one and three kilograms of cocaine every three to four weeks spending £30,000 per kilo for a £4,000 profit.

Ms Allaway said having to sit through her son’s trial was ‘too much’.

She said: ‘Having to sit through his trial, having to revisit that day when I just wasn’t ready and hearing the details of what happened to my son for the first time in front of detached strangers and the men that killed him was horrifying.

‘To those involved it may have been just another murder case but for me this was my son.

Nathaniel Reece, 40, of Southgate Road, admitted to murder and was sentenced to life with a minimum of 33 years and two months

Darren Dredge, 41, and Matthew Hardy, 36, were cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter

‘You will never understand how painful a trial is to sit through and to remain composed- at times it was just too much.

‘None of the defendants showed any remorse or compassion for Imani.

‘At the very least these men should have pleaded guilty, saving us from the added heartache.

‘Despite being in prison they all get to see their children- all of that was taken from me.’

Demetrios Kyriacou, 35, of Liverpool Road, Islington, was convicted of murder, jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 31 years

Hardy’s father William Hardy, 71, along with Dean Walker, 33, and Hassan Hamza, 27, were cleared of both charges after the trial which lasted more than two months.

Dean Walker was sentenced to nine months imprisonment suspended for 18 months for conspiracy to supply drugs.

Reece’s sentence included unauthorised possession of a knife and affray in prison, which he admitted. He denies intent to supply drugs and will be tried at a later date.

Dredge’s sentence included conspiracy to supply drugs and possession of criminal property, which he admitted.

Kyriacou, Dredge, Matthew Hardy, William Hardy, Walker, Nicholson and Hamza, all from Islington, all denied murder and manslaughter.

Reece, also of Islington, admitted murder.

Source: Read Full Article