News —
Gang members sentenced to life after murdering mother in Willesden
Two men have been handed significant custodial sentences after being found guilty of murdering mum-of-two, Michelle Sadio, in 2024.
The men sentenced at the Old Bailey today, Wednesday, 20 May, are:
- Perry Allen-Thomas, 27 (24.06.1998), of Queenscourt, Wembley, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 38 years in prison after being convicted of murder and two counts of attempted murder
- Amir Salem, 20 (07.03.2006), of Barnhill Road, Wembley, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 26 years in prison after being convicted of murder and two counts of attempted murder
Their sentencing follows an extensive investigation by homicide detectives, showing the Met’s commitment to tackling serious violence and bringing offenders to justice.
Michelle Sadio, 44, was shot dead as she attended a wake in Willesden in 2024. Allen-Thomas and Salem both denied her murder, but were found guilty at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 21 April 2026.
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Clarke, who led the investigation, said: “Our thoughts remain with Michelle’s loved ones. No result will ever be enough, but it is my hope that today’s sentence offers them some measure of comfort.
“Michelle’s death was a senseless tragedy, resulting from ongoing gang tensions in the local area. Today’s outcome illustrates that the Met is committed to ensuring those who commit acts of brazen violence, impacting innocent people and untold numbers of families, are held to account.
“The Met is committed to tackling serious violence, with officers across London disrupting gangs who tear families like Michell’s apart. This comes as part of our drive to target dangerous offenders and make communities safer.”
The investigation
At around 21:15hrs on Saturday, 14December 2024, police and the London Ambulance Service were called to reports of a shooting in Gifford Road, NW10.
Shots were fired from a black Kia Niro car with distinctive alloys. Michelle Sadio, who had been attending a wake at the River of Life Elim Pentecostal Church, was shot and was found by officers and paramedics with significant injuries. Despite their efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two other men, both aged in their 30s, also suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to hospital for treatment. One of the men continues to live with the life-changing effects of his injuries.
Michelle, a mother of two young children, and the two men, were innocent victims of a dispute between two gangs in northwest London.
The car used in the fatal attack was found completely burnt out the following day on a recreation ground in the Chalkhill Estate, HA9.
Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command launched an investigation but, from the outset, faced significant challenges. No eyewitnesses were able to describe the occupants of the vehicle the shots were fired from, no firearm was recovered at the scene, and the offenders had made deliberate efforts to destroy evidence and conceal their identities.
An early breakthrough came within days of the murder, when police forensic specialists recovered DNA from a petrol can left beside the burnt‑out getaway car used during the attack.
Hundreds of hours of CCTV footage was recovered and reviewed by officers. It included video footage from a garage in Neasden showing a suspect, Amir Salem, 20, buying fuel on Friday, 13 December 2024, the day before the murder.
Thousands of pages of telephone data and information from dozens of ULEZ and ANPR numberplate traffic cameras were analysed as specialists from teams across the Met – including intelligence officers and local policing units – worked together to trace contact between the suspects and track their movements.
That work led officers to Perry Allen-Thomas, 27, who prosecutors said was involved in organising the shooting in the hope of hitting a member of a rival gang who was attending the wake.
He was careful to give himself an alibi for the night of the murder. Officers obtained information from Allen-Thomas’s curfew tag – fitted after his release from prison for a drugs offence – and an Uber account registered to a friend that made a cab journey at the exact time of the incident, and appeared to support his alibi.
Amir Salem, who bought the fuel used to torch the getaway car, acted as a go-between – with phone data obtained by detectives pointing to him communicating with the gunmen in the car via social media messages before relaying news of the shooting in a call to Allen-Thomas three minutes after the incident.
Despite the deliberate steps taken by the offenders to evade detection, the duo were ultimately identified and arrested thanks to hundreds of hours of work by the Met’s specialist homicide detectives.
