By Gavin Mackintosh-
Three men have been found guilty of murdering 19-year-old Raheem Wilks, who was shot at a barber’s shop in Leeds. Keal Richards, Jaydn Manners and Tremaine Wisdom were found guilty today of murdering Raheem Wilks.
Jurors heard that the killing of the teenager, whose brother-Malik Wilks- plays for Leeds United, “had all the hallmarks of a gangland shooting”. Raheem’s brother Mallik Wilks plays for Leeds United. A jury heard Mr Wil- was shot once through the heart at the barber’s shop on Gathorne Terrace, Chapeltown, on January 26 this year.
The incident happened in broad daylight in front of a number witnesses, but nobody who was present at the shooting came forward to help the police. It is believed that witnesses were too scared to come forward, but sources from the area at the time of the killing told the eye of media.com that ”there was more to the killing than meets the eye”. Raheem Wilks died after being shot on Thursday afternoon outside a barber’s shop in Gathorne Terrace, in the Harehills area of Leeds. Police were called shortly after 1 pm that day, and attended the scene with paramedics.
Harehills is a predominantly black area in Leeds that has a history of occasional serious violence, although Chapletown, not too far from there is believed to be more rife with violence than Hare hills
Despite the wall of official silence from witnesses, a jury of seven women and four men took just over two hours to reach unanimous verdicts against the three defendants after a three week trial. CCTV footage showed Manners and Richards, of Francis Street, Leeds, being taken to and from the murder scene in a car driven by Wisdom, of Stainbeck Road, Leeds. The footage also appeared to show Richards carrying a bag police believe contained the murder weapon.
GANG
The court heard Raheem was a member of a gang called The Flock and was “specifically targeted” as a result. Nailing the perpetrators, Prosecutor Daffy Enoch QC said that while Manners, of Louis Street, Chapeltown, was “almost certainly the actual shooter” the killing was a joint enterprise. A post-mortem examination showed the bullet went through Raheem’s heart when he was shot once from behind.
In a moment of legal suicide, Richards was filmed on Snapchat, just moments after the shooting, watching a YouTube clip featuring C Biz rapping about a killing in a barbershop. He appeared to be glorifying his murderous actions. It is quite possible Raheem had committed disrespectful acts to his killers or their acquaintances, but such information rarely ever surface in murder cases since the accuse generally plead their innocence to the end. A statement by West Yorkshire Police read:
”Extensive enquiries over the days immediately following the murder led to the arrest of Keal Richards, aged 21, of Francis Street, Chapeltown. He was charged with murder and remanded in custody.
A number of other arrest operations involving firearms officers were conducted over the following days and months leading to further arrests and murder charges.Jaydn Manners, aged 24, of Louis Street, Chapeltown and Tremaine Wisdom, aged 29, of Stainbeck Road, Meanwood were charged with Raheem’s murder along with two other men.
With no eye-witnesses willing to assist the investigation, detectives had to conduct painstaking enquiries which saw them seize and analyse large quantities of CCTV and other data, such as phone records and social media, to link the defendants to the crime”.”This included a Snapchat message recorded by Richards in the immediate aftermath of the murder. It showed him celebrating in his car as he sang along to a rap video with lyrics that reference a shooting in a barber shop.
Snapchat messages are normally not retrievable but detectives liaisd with authorities in the United States and were able to recover the clip and admit it as part of the evidence”.
CCTV footage showed Manners and Richards being picked up by Wisdom in a lease car minutes before Raheem was shot. Richards is carrying a bag that is believed to have contained the gun. Other footage shows the car travelling to and from the scene of the murder.
Following a trial at Leeds Crown Court, Richards, Wisdom and Manners were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years.
Keiran Hunt, aged 30, of Roundhay Road, Harehills, and Cornelia Benjamin, aged 21, of Reginald Street, Chapeltown, were both found not guilty.
Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Spencer, who led the investigation, said: “Raheem Wilks was murdered in cold blood in the middle of the day in what was clearly a planned and targeted attack.
“The men convicted of this utterly appalling crime went there with the firm intention of shooting and killing him, with total disregard for anybody who may have been present nearby.
“Raheem had made certain choices in his life, which sadly took him into a world of criminality. This in no way condones what happened to him.
“As a young man of nineteen he had everything to live for. He was a son, a brother, and a father to a little boy, who sadly will have to grow up without his dad. Raheem’s family are completely devastated that he has been taken from them so suddenly in these violent circumstances.
“The men responsible have received life sentences with significant minimum terms and, although nothing will ever compensate Raheem’s family for the pain and loss they are going through, we hope they can take some small measure of comfort from seeing these men brought to justice.
“Raheem’s senseless murder at just the young age of nineteen very starkly illustrates the tragic consequences of the criminal use of firearms by those involved in the organised supply of drugs.
“This is not a music video or posting on YouTube. This is real life and it is completely unacceptable. The law-abiding majority within this community do not accept this as a culture. That community need to feel assured that when their teenage son or daughter goes out for the evening, they can do so confident in the knowledge they will come to no harm.
COLD BLOOD
Det Ch Insp Stuart Spencer added: “Raheem Wilks was murdered in cold blood in the middle of the day in what was clearly a planned and targeted attack.
“The men convicted of this utterly appalling crime went there with the firm intention of shooting and killing him, with total disregard for anybody who may have been present nearby.
“As a young man of nineteen he had everything to live for. He was a son, a brother, and a father to a little boy, who sadly will have to grow up without his dad. “Raheem’s family are completely devastated that he has been taken from them so suddenly in these violent circumstances.
Two other defendants accused of murder – Keiran Hunt, 29, of Roundhay Road, Leeds, and Cornelia Benjamin, 21, of Reginald Street, Chapeltown – were found not guilty.During the trial prosecutor Dafydd Enoch said Manners was “almost certainly the actual shooter”.Describing the killing the prosecutor said: “It smacked of revenge. “Mr Richards was to celebrate it on social media after the event.”Richards, 21, of Francis Street, Leeds; Manners, 24, of Louis Street, Leeds, and Wisdom, 29, of no fixed address, will be sentenced at 3pm today