A judge was labelled heartless as she jailed three young men for at least 30 years each for the execution-style shooting of a teenager with a semi-automatic pistol.

Abdifatah Sheikhey, 19, was blasted in the chest and stomach as he sat in the passenger seat of a stationary black Mercedes in Ilford, east London, on March 21.

In the planned attack, the killers left their BMW running as they fired seven shots in quick succession directly at the teenager in 13 seconds, four of them hitting him.

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Mr Sheikhey was murdered by three drug dealers in retribution for an incident in a chicken shop when he swung a large knife at one of the killers, the Old Bailey heard.

Even though the prosecution could not say which of them had fired the gun, the jury was told they were all in it together.

Following a trial, promising footballer Sami Omar, 21, Jordi Kibusi, 21, and Suleman Mohamed, 20, all from Ilford, were found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in jail.

There were tears in the public gallery and cries of "it's not fair" and "you have no heart, man" from supporters, as Judge Anuja Dhir QC set a minimum term of 30 years.

She said the manner of the shooting meant the victim had "no chance of survival".

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Judge Dhir said the starting point for murders with a gun was at least 30 years in prison and the crime was made worse because it was pre-meditated, they intended to kill, and it was drugs-related.

However, she told the defendants she had decided not to increase their sentences because of their youth and the circumstances of the case.

Mr Sheikhey had wanted to be a mechanic and work on cars, according to his brother Ahmed.

He said in a statement: "He was only 19 years old when he was shot. It was a month before his 20th birthday - far too young to leave this world.

"What makes his death even worse is that he knew the people who shot him, people who were his friends. How could they do this?

"These sorts of murders have to stop. The people responsible should not be allowed to do this to anyone else."

The murder was committed against a background of "lucrative" drug dealing, with two of the defendants being able to hire flats to store their stash, and Kibusi renting a BMW at "hugely inflated" cost.

Before the shooting, Mr Sheikhey had been involved in a knife fight with Omar at Chesters chicken shop in Ilford Lane.

Mr Sheikhey took Omar "by surprise", as he was waving a weapon much larger than the small blade the defendant habitually carried around with him, the court heard.

On the evening of March 21, Mr Sheikhey had been in a black Mercedes car with two friends as a BMW followed behind containing the gunman, jurors were told.

Prosecutor Anthony Orchard QC said: "A figure, with his face covered, left the vehicle and shouted to the front passenger side window of the Mercedes.

"The man was in possession of a firearm which was held at waist height. Several shots were heard."

Mr Sheikhey, from Ilford, was pronounced dead soon after 11pm that night.

The .32 semi-automatic pistol which was used in the shooting was never recovered.

By Emily Pennink