Life Sentences for Wake Shooting Murder
Two men have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a woman who was fatally shot during a drive-by attack outside a wake in north-west London.
Michelle Sadio, a mother of two, was attending the River of Life Pentecostal Church in Willesden on 14 December 2024 when a vehicle approached the gathering and four shots were fired at a group of mourners.
At the Old Bailey, Perry Allen-Thomas, aged 27, received a minimum term of 38 years, while 20-year-old Amir Salem was sentenced to 26 years in prison.
Sadio, 44, was caught in the crossfire and died at the scene. Two other men were injured during the incident: Kenneth Amoah was left paralysed below the waist, and Kadeem Francis sustained a foot injury.
Judicial Remarks and Victim Impact Statement
During sentencing, Mrs Justice McGowan stated that "a murder was intended and planned" and described the event as a "terrifying tragedy" involving the convicted men.
A victim impact statement was read in court on behalf of the victim's widower, Jean Marie Sadio, who portrayed Michelle as "the pillar" of their family with "the biggest and loudest laugh."
"She was the friend and partner you wished to have in your life. I know that half of me has gone. I am broken and will never be the same man again."
He further expressed that their two children remind him of "the best" qualities of Michelle and shared that they "ask for her perfume so they can still smell her."
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