Trio Locked Up For Life For Thusha Shooting

Three men have been jailed for life for a gang-related shooting that left a five-year-old girl paralysed.

Nathaniel Grant, Anthony McCalla and Kazeem Kolawole were hunting down a rivalgang member when they shot Thusha Kamaleswaran at her aunt's south London shopin March last year.

They were found guilty last month of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Thusha and shopper Roshan Selvakumar, who was shot in the face, as well as attempted murder of their intended victim Roshaun Bryan.

Grant will serve a minimum of 17 years, and Kolawole and McCalla at least 14 years.

Kolawole, 19, of Kennington, southeast London; McCalla, 20, of Streatham,south London; and Grant, 21, of Camberwell, southeast London, were told theircrimes were "of the utmost gravity".

Judge Martin Stephens QC said: "Much of what you did was captured on CCTV andhas been shown on television screens across the land.

"One can only imagine the effect on the public when they saw what you had done."

The trio had gone out with a "determined, premeditated intention to kill" that day, he said.

Judge Stephens continued: "Mr Selvakumar was hit in the head but miraculouslysurvived with a piece of bullet remaining in his head.

"Five-year-old Thusha, who was dancing around with her family in the shop, was hit in the body.

"Only the skill and devotion of the medical teams who became involved saved her life but she remains paralysed below her chest and this condition is permanent.

"This simple but devastating statement of the essential facts of the case illustrate the gravity of these offences, riddled as they are with aggravating factors."