TWO men have been jailed for 28 years each after murdering the wrong man in a roadside execution.

Michael Ofori was shot shortly after midnight on June 23 last year in Oslac Road, Catford, as he sat in the driver’s seat of his car talking to his estranged wife.

As they chatted, a man approached the car on foot and fired three times. Michael was shot once in the head and once in the arm.

The gunman left the scene in a white van which was driven by Nicholas Allon-McVytie, aged 23, of Vanguard Street, Deptford, who had earlier purchased it using a false name.

Today Allon-McVytie and Sahid Sule, aged 23, of no fixed address, who coordinated the operation via his phone, were both sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to serve a minimum of 28 years.

During their Old Bailey trial, jurors heard the intended victim of the shooting was in fact another person, who had been lured to the area that night.

The court was told of a rivalry between the defendants and their intended target which led to a number of shooting incidents in Sydenham and Brockley.

Following Mr Ofori’s murder, detectives from Trident trawled through hours of CCTV and analysed huge amounts of telephone data, allowing them to piece together the movements of the defendants.

Detective Inspector Andy Muir of Trident said: “These men lived their lives according to their criminal activities which regularly led them to be involved in violent disputes with other criminals.

"Their activities blighted local communities and on this occasion led them to the decision to plan and commit murder.

“Tragically, they murdered Michael Ofori who was not their associate and was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Michael’s friends and family have been left devastated by his death and his young daughter has been left without her father.

“I hope that today’s convictions go some way in providing them with comfort.”

A jury was unable to reach a verdict on Nathaniel Valton, aged 23, of Adolphus Street, Deptford, who was accused of being the gunman.

The jury could also not reach a verdict on 25-year-old Jules Brown of Newham, who was also accused of murder.

A hearing on October 28 will rule on whether the pair should be tried again.

Kraig Isaacs, aged 21, of Malpas Road, Brockley, was cleared of the killing.