​Teen sentenced to life in prison following Catford nightclub murder

A 19-year-old has been sentenced to life in prison after he shot and killed a man outside Catford nightclub Silks in March 2024.

Tyler Roberts-Emmanuel was handed a life sentence at the Old Bailey on Friday, April 4, by judge Sarah Plaschkes KC, following a month-long trial.

Last month, the teenager was convicted of shooting Shaquille Graham, 30, at point blank range after lying in wait for him outside the south London nightclub for 20 minutes.

The court heard how Roberts-Emmanuel had planned the murder, making a “dummy run” on a scooter just hours before the incident, which took place in the early hours of March 10, 2024.

Roberts-Emmanuel was said to have left his grandmother’s house in Peckham, heading towards Catford where he waited to shoot Graham. He then returned to his grandmother’s house after the incident.

The motive behind the attack is still unknown. Judge Plaschkes said that the shooting was “unexpected”, describing it as “targeted, premeditated, and ruthlessly executed”.

“Shaquille Graham was approached from behind and shot once at point blank range with the gun angled so the bullet entered his neck and travelled into his skull,” she told the court. “One of the shocking features of this case is that you were only 18-years-old when you fired that gun.”

In evidence, the court heard that Roberts-Emmanuel had attempted to purchase a Kaboo Wolf Warrior 11 scooter a month ahead of the attack, the same one used by the gunman.

The address he used as a base was covered by CCTV, the jury heard, and showed the defendant at the same location at “key times”, also using mobile phone evidence.

Graham’s parents spoke in court, explaining that their son was “everything” to them (via BBC). His father, Norman Harris, said: “We gave him life and no-one else had the right to take it and him away from us.”

[Via BBC]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter