Five sentenced over 'mistaken identity' murder

Four men and a teenager have been sentenced following the death of a young father who was murdered in a case of mistaken identity.

Nineteen-year-old Kevin Pokuta died a day after being shot on Page Hall Road, Sheffield, on 12 December 2023.

At Sheffield Crown Court on Monday, Jake Brown, 23, of Horninglow Road, Sheffield, was jailed for 36 years for murder.

Three other men and a teenage boy, who appeared at the same court, were sentenced for conspiracy to commit robbery.

Mr Pokuta, whose family had moved to the UK from Slovakia, was sitting in his car with his brother when he was targeted following the failure of a robbery the group had planned to commit.

The jury, which took four days to reach its verdicts, heard Mr Pokuta was killed in the early hours of the morning after the attempted robbery had gone wrong about half an hour earlier.

South Yorkshire Police said the defendants went looking for revenge and mistakenly believed the car Mr Pokuta was sitting in had been involved in the failed robbery.

The court heard Brown saw Mr Pokuta parked in his car on Page Hall Road, with his younger brother in the passenger seat, and mistook him for someone else.

Brown then drove down the road while riding an e-bike and shot Mr Pokuta as he attempted to drive away.

The jury was told detectives were later able to identify all five gang members through the clothing they were wearing, CCTV footage, forensic DNA evidence and phone analysis.

Brown was also sentenced to four years for attempted GBH, five years for conspiracy to commit robbery and a total of 29 years for two firearm offences.

Leon Waite, 27, of Denholme Close, Sheffield, was sentenced to four years and six months for conspiracy to commit robbery.

Lester Ramsey 25, of Skelton Close, Sheffield, was given four years and six months in prison for conspiracy to commit robbery.

Adam Mulligan, 33, of High Hazel Crescent, Rotherham, was given a sentence of three years and six months for conspiracy to commit robbery.

A17-year-old boy was handed a two-year Youth Rehabilitation Order for conspiracy to commit robbery.

Det Ch Insp Thomas Woodward, said: "This horrific incident of mistaken identity has cost Kevin his life. His two young children will now grow up without their father."

He said the force had spent almost a year "ensuring that the person responsible for taking Kevin's life will now spend years behind bars".

In a statement Mr Pokuta's family said they had moved to the UK "for a better and safer life".

They said they were "devastated" and could never have imagined "that this horror would befall us".

In their statement they explained that Mr Pokuta's son and daughter were two years old and four months old respectively when their father was killed.

They said: "Kevin's son celebrated his third birthday, blowing out candles at his father's graveside. No child should ever have to do that.

"Kevin will never get to see his children grow up. He never got to see his young daughter take her first steps or say her first words.

"Kevin will be loved and missed by us forever."

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