Men get 55 years in jail for shooting outside Bexleyheath nightclub

Two men who shot another man in the face in Bexleyheath have been jailed, following an investigation demonstrating the Met’s commitment to tackling serious violence.

The pair were identified within hours of the shooting in January this year, tracked down, arrested and charged – despite their attempts to flee the scene.

The gun – a converted starter pistol – was recovered several months later during a separate operation and was linked to the Eltham incident by the Met’s specialist forensics lab.

Marvin Bulle, 33 (04.02.1993), of no fixed address, was caught on an ambulance dash cam shooting the victim at point blank range following a nightclub dispute in Bexleyheath.

Carlos Parks, 35 (09.07.1991), of Sidcup Road, Eltham, was the getaway driver who crashed 100 metres from the site of the shooting.

At Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, 9 October, Bulle was jailed for 35 years. His co-defendant, Parks, received 20 years’ imprisonment.

At the same court on Friday, 7 August, Bulle was found guilty of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Parks was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Detective Inspector Raymond Sekalongo, of the Met Police’s specialist Trident firearms unit, said:

“This assault could so easily have resulted in the victim’s death. It is nothing short of a miracle that he survived.

“Both these attackers are dangerous men, who thought nothing of taking a firearm out onto the streets of London. I am pleased they are now locked up for a significant period of time.

“This case shows the consequences of gun crime – and the Met’s commitment to bringing those who perpetrate serious violence in the capital to justice.

“We were able to recover the firearm that was used in this incident, taking a lethal weapon off the streets and potentially saving scores of lives in the process.”

The investigation

Police were called at around 02:15hrs on Sunday, 4 January to a report of a shooting outside a nightclub on the Bexleyheath Broadway.

Officers attended with the London Ambulance Service and a 30-year-old man was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

He had been shot in the head at close range and the bullet had lodged in his spine. The victim spent eight days on a critical care ward and almost lost his sight in his right eye. He has been left with life-changing injuries.

The near-fatal shooting had followed a minor altercation inside the nightclub. The victim’s group were attacked as they left the venue, resulting in one of the attackers being knocked unconscious.

Parks and Bulle returned to their car and were overheard on CCTV using a slang word for a firearm.

Footage showed Bulle reaching into the front passenger seat of the car, retrieving an item then making a gesture consistent with him cocking a gun. As he walked back to the scene of the fight, Parks followed slowly in the car.

Bulle was seen shooting the firearm twice, at close range, towards the victim. A bullet struck him below the eye.

The shooting was caught on a dash cam fitted in a London Ambulance Service response car, which had been flagged down to assist with the man who was knocked unconscious outside the nightclub.

Bulle ran to Parks’ car and the pair made off at speed. Parks quickly lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a lamppost 100 metres away. They dumped the car and fled on foot.

Parks was arrested in Greenwich on 4 January, 14 hours after the shooting. Bulle fled to Suffolk then rural Essex, where he was arrested in Mistley on Wednesday, 14 January.

Both men were identified from CCTV. Initially, the gun could not be found – meaning there was no DNA linking Bulle to the weapon.

However, a converted starter pistol was later linked to the Bexleyheath shooting by the Met’s specialist forensics lab when it was recovered in Eltham in May during an unrelated investigation.

Parks was charged on Tuesday, 6 January with attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. He was remanded into custody at Bromley Magistrates’ Court later the same day.

Bulle was charged on Thursday, 15 January with attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. He was remanded into custody at Bromley Magistrates’ Court later the same day.