Man convicted of murder in £10K drug debt shooting
A man who shot a man in the back “in cold-blood” has been found guilty of his murder.
Ramane Wiggan, 25, was shot dead at the block in Friar Mews, West Norwood, on March 27 2019, after he travelled to the area to collect a drugs debt of £10,000.
Kaine Gilead, 26, of Grove Road, Surbiton, was convicted at the Old Bailey on Wednesday. He will be sentenced at the same court on August 4.
Police were called at around 4.10pm after a neighbour heard a gunshot at a residential property in Friar Mews. Officers attended along with London Ambulance Service and found Ramane seriously injured on a balcony walkway.
Despite the efforts of emergency services, who carried out first aid at the scene, Ramane died a short time later. It was later established that he had been shot from behind by a Glock pistol, with one of the bullets passing through his chest.
Met officers identifying Kaine Gilead as the main suspect through “analysis of mobile phone data”.
Gilead took a minicab to Liverpool on the day after the murder, before returning to London. He was arrested after officers saw him visiting his mother’s address in the West Norwood area.
He was bailed while officers carried out further enquiries, which included a review of data collected from Gilead’s mobile phones. One of the mobiles was used in the area of the murder shortly before Ramane was shot.
It also showed several calls between Gilead and Ramane in the hour prior to the shooting.
Detective Chief Inspector Kate Kieran, who worked on the investigation, said: “Today is not a day to celebrate but I do hope this verdict provides some comfort to Ramane’s family and allows them to begin to move forward after their tragic loss.
“The evidence we collected against Gilead was overwhelming and showed him to have played a key part in the deliberate, planned and cold-blooded murder of Ramane.
“This case is also a tragic reminder of the misery drugs cause within communities and demonstrates how they can often act as a catalyst to more serious crimes.”
Pictured top: From left, Ramane Wiggan and his killer Kaine Gilead (Picture: The Met)