Brothers jailed for combined 70 years for ‘point-blank’ double shooting outside club

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Two brothers have been jailed for a combined total of almost 70 years for a premeditated double-shooting after they ambushed their victim outside a nightclub.

A 28-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and a stab wound to the back while a second victim was shot through his hand at point-blank range in the planned attack. Detectives said it was “pure luck” that no one was killed.

Jahmarley Thomas, 26, was last year sentenced to a total of 34 years imprisonment, with a further three to be served on licence, over the 2021 shooting.

His brother Jahni Thomas, 30, was sentenced to 35 years on Friday, with a further three to be served on licence.

The brothers, from Brent, north-west London, were convicted of two counts of attempted murder, one of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life and one count of possession of points and blades at Isleworth Crown Court in December 2022.

The court heard the brothers had conducted a reconnaissance visit to the scene of the attack two hours earlier to check their target was present.

They then returned and lay in wait for their victim to leave a nightclub. As he did so, they ambushed their victim from behind, stabbing him once and shooting him in the left shoulder. The gunman then ran to a second male who was attempting to take cover in a vehicle.

The gunman opened the car door and at point-blank range, fired the gun a second time as the second victim raised his left hand to protect himself.

The bullet went through his hand and a jacket that was wrapped around it, hitting him in the chest and causing bruising.

Firearms officers rushed to the scene and found a 28-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the chest and a stab wound to the back. He was taken to hospital where his injuries, although initially serious, were deemed not life-threatening following treatment.

The other victim, aged 31, was also taken to hospital but his injuries were not life-threatening.

Detectives found the vehicle was stolen and using cloned number plates. They tracked it on CCTV for more than three hours and 27 miles as it drove around north-west London.

Detective constable Tom Harris of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: “This so easily could have been a murder investigation. The fact that nobody was killed was pure luck.

“The Thomas’ actions were premeditated and planned, with no consideration for the safety of bystanders who may have unwittingly been caught up in the shootings.

“The sentences handed down to the brothers demonstrate the danger they pose and I hope that the victims find a measure of closure in knowing that they have been taken off our streets for a considerable time.”