Hackney Turk shot in restaurant jailed for attack

An east London gang member who was the intended target of a shooting - in which a nine-year-old girl was hit in the head by a stray bullet - has been jailed for life for plotting a separate gun attack a year later.

Beytullah Gunduz, 40, had been sitting in the Evin Restaurant, Dalston, minutes before gunmen opened fire outside in May 2024, leaving the girl with a serious head wound.

Gunduz, a senior member of the Hackney Turks gang, has been found guilty of conspiring to murder Onur Guzel, who was shot outside his family's restaurant, also in Dalston, in June 2025.

Gunduz refused to attend the Old Bailey on Friday and was sentenced in his absence to a minimum of 20 years.

The court heard both shootings were part of a violent feud between Gunduz's gang and a rival group, the Tottenham Turks.

According to police, the dispute between the Tottenham Turks and Hackney Turks originated from a snooker club fight in 2009.

In the first case, Javon Riley, 33, the spotter and getaway driver in the May 2024 attack, was jailed for life last year with a minimum term of 34 years for causing grievous bodily harm with intent to the girl and attempting to murder three men.

Guzel, 38, whose family runs the Umut 2000 restaurant, had been caught up in the feud for months before he was shot.

In November 2024, his brother was sent a text demanding £100,000, alongside a picture of a gun, jurors heard.

In April 2025, gunmen targeting his brother's home went to the wrong address and fired through a neighbour's door.

Two days later, five shots were fired at the empty restaurant at 02:00 BST. Guzel told the court both attacks were blamed on the Tottenham Turks.

After the family went to the police, the demand rose to £300,000 and his sister-in-law was sent a text warning of another shooting.

Before Guzel was shot, the Hackney Turks had also accused his family of paying the Tottenham Turks £100,000 and demanded the same sum for themselves. Guzel said his family had never paid money to any gang.

On 20 June 2025, he was on a break from work, talking to his wife on the phone at about 22:00, when he heard a loud bang, then lifted his shirt and saw blood on his lower abdomen. Two police officers gave first aid before he was taken to hospital.

In a televised hearing, Judge Mark Lucraft KC said Guzel had been left with injuries that were "permanent" and "irreversible".

In his victim impact statement, Guzel said: "The truth is I am no longer the person I was before this happened."

Gunduz, who knew Guzel as a regular at the restaurant, denied any involvement. He had previous convictions dating back to 2008, including for possessing an offensive weapon and assaulting a police officer.

In mitigation, Miranda Moore KC said Gunduz accepted his "life choices" had left his parents without his support.

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