TWO men who shot and killed a man as he sat in his parked car in Southall were found guilty of murder following a trial at the Old Bailey.

Malique Thompson-Hill, 22, of Maidenhead, and Jermiane Paul, 23, of Acacia Avenue, West Drayton were convicted of murdering 26-year-old Khalid Farah.

A third man, Joshua Folorunso, 27, of Loudwater, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice after setting fire to a car used in the murder.

All three will be sentenced at the same court next month.

Thompson-Hill and Paul conspired to attack Khalid, the court heard, as part of an ongoing dispute.

In the early hours in November last year, Khalid was sitting in his parked car with a friend in Lady Margaret Road, Southall.

At around 1:20, Thompson-Hill and Paul arrived in the area in a black VW Tiguan, which was later found to have been stolen and fitted with false number plates.

Khalid appeared to be unaware of their presence as one of the Tiguan’s occupants left the car. CCTV showed him, covered by a hood, raise a shotgun to fire into the driver's side of the car, where Khalid was sitting.

Khalid's friend ran and the gunman initially raised his firearm at him before turning it again on Khalid and firing once more. He then ran back to the Tiguan, which sped away.

READ MORE: Police chief responds to shootings

READ MORE: Home Office cash to support vulnerable children in Ealing
READ MORE: Darwin & Wallace to open at Ealing Broadway

An ambulance crew could not save Khalid, who was pronounced dead in hospital two hours later

Thompson-Hill and Paul abandoned their vehicle in a car park in Knowles Close, around 500 metres from Paul's home in West Drayton. Both men went their separate ways but their cover-up attempt continued.

Folorunso was contacted and that evening he and two other unidentified men set the Tiguan on fire. 

Detectives quickly established Thompson-Hill as a potential suspect and he was arrested. He had mobile phones which contained key numbers he had used around the time of the murder.

Paul was subsequently arrested for an unrelated matter. He was found in possession of mobile phones where the numbers tallied with those that Thompson-Hill had been in contact with.

Both were charged with Khalid's murder. Folorunso was tracked down later.

Det Insp Garry Moncrieff said: "While our investigation could not establish which man took the fatal shots that killed Khalid Farah, what is clear is that both Thompson-Hill and Paul conspired together to murder him.

"What the exact motive for the murder was remains unclear. However, there had clearly been tensions between Khalid and his murderers.

"I can only hope these convictions bring some form of closure to Khalid's family and friends."