Two men jailed for reckless car chase that led to death of 16-year-old

A Met investigation into a reckless car chase that ended with a 16-year-old boy being killed has led to two men being handed lengthy prison sentences.

Aaron Conway, 39 (25.02.1985) of Villas Road, Plumstead and Joseph Barnes, 41 (14.09.1983) of Byfleet, Surrey appeared at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, 6 December.

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.

The court heard how 16-year-old Tafari Thompson-Mintah 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 9 October 2023, he and Barnes met up to do so again. They got into a stolen car with Barnes driving and Conway in the passenger seat. Spotting Tafari, they chased him at high speed before swerving towards him and deliberately knocking him off his scooter. He was thrown into the path of an oncoming car and run over.

Tafari sustained profound head injuries. The emergency services attended and provided urgent medical treatment, but he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives were quickly able to piece together what had taken place by viewing CCTV. Conway, Barnes and the third man were arrested days later.

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.”