A career criminal who orchestrated a shooting that seriously injured a nine-year-old girl at a busy Dalston restaurant has been ordered to pay her compensation, after the Met recovered his criminal assets in a first-of-its-kind process.
Following a confiscation hearing at the Old Bailey on Monday, 12 October, Javon Riley, 34, was ordered to pay £9,115 in compensation to the girl, who was left with life-changing injuries after she was shot in Dalston in May 2024.
First of its kind for the Met
Met officers were able to prove the money had been generated through Riley’s involvement in serious and organised crime. Detective Inspector Ben Dalloway, who led the investigation, said the confiscation process was the first of its kind for the Met Police.
Alongside the investigation into the shooting, officers examined Riley’s finances. During a search of his address, they recovered thousands of pounds in cash — and making sure that money could never stay in his hands became the team’s mission.
The attack
Riley was jailed for a minimum of 34 years on Friday, 12 September 2025 after being convicted of three counts of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm. The trial heard how Riley had plotted for an unknown gunman to kill rival gang members of an organised crime network by opening fire at a restaurant in Kingsland Road, Dalston in May 2024.
During the attack, the nine-year-old girl was shot in the head while eating ice cream with her family inside the restaurant. Her family have previously described the profound emotional, physical, mental and financial impact the shooting has had on their lives.
Read more of our London crime coverage: the Pitsea Street attempted robbery and the King’s Cross £30,000 suitcase theft.
