Two men have been jailed after a 16-year-old boy was deliberately knocked off his scooter and killed in a reckless car chase.
Aaron Conway, 39, and Joseph Barnes, 41, were in a stolen car when they chased Tafari Thompson-Mintah and knocked him into the path of an oncoming car.
Woolwich Crown Court heard that Tafari had been in a relationship with Conway’s daughter which had broken down, leading to a series of disputes.
Conway had been determined to threaten and intimidate Tafari and, on October 9 last year, he and Barnes met up to do so.
They got into a stolen car with Barnes driving and Conway in the passenger seat.
After spotting Tafari, they chased him at high speed before swerving towards him.
The teenager was deliberately knocked off his scooter before he was run over.
Emergency services attended and provided urgent medical treatment, but Tafari was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Met Police previously said they believed the teenager’s moped was deliberately struck by a red Mercedes car. This caused the moped to veer into the path of an orange Vauxhall Mokka car.
Conway of Villas Road, Plumstead and Barnes, 41, of Byfleet, Surrey appeared at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday.
Detectives were quickly able to piece together what had taken place by viewing CCTV. Conway, Barnes and the third man were arrested days later.
Barnes, who had been convicted of murder following a trial earlier this year, was sentenced to life imprisonment and will serve a minimum of 25 years.
Conway, who had previously been convicted of manslaughter, was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment.
A third man who had been charged in relation to the same incident was found not guilty following a trial.
Acting Detective Chief Inspector Martin Thorpe, who led the investigation, said: “Conway encouraged Barnes to drive recklessly and in doing so both played a part in the cruel and senseless ending of a young boy’s life.
“This has been an incredibly distressing time for Tafari’s family.
“Nothing will erase the pain of their loss, but I hope that today’s lengthy prison sentence will give them some small sense of closure.”
