Ramane Wiggan murder: Man who shot debt collector jailed

A man who fatally shot a debt collector at close range has been jailed for a minimum of 34 years.

Kaine Gilead, 26, from Surbiton in south-west London, shot Ramane Wiggan, 25, from behind with a pistol after "luring" him to a balcony at flats in West Norwood, south London, in 2019.

Sentencing him to life, Judge Michael Topolski KC said Gilead had committed a "brutal and callous" murder.

He added the crime would "haunt" Mr Wiggan's loved ones "for many years".

During the trial at the Old Bailey, jurors heard Mr Wiggan was shot in a "deliberate, planned and cold-blooded execution" after he was sent to collect £10,000 from the defendant.

The court heard Gilead was linked to the killing by mobile phone contact with the victim and had three phones, one of which was only ever used on the day of the shooting.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC said the killing was "almost certainly in connection with their involvement in the supply of, and debts relating to, drugs".

When the jury delivered its verdict last month, Mr Wiggan's mother told her son's killer: "You are a murderer and finally I have justice."

Judge Topolski previously praised Mr Wiggan's mother, saying: "There were two other attempts to get the case to a jury for verdict. That did not happen.

"There was a trial at the back end of last year, which resulted in a jury not being able to reach a decision.

"The court has been constantly impressed with her calm dignity, again having to relive the horrifying details of her son's death, not just once but relive it time and time again."

Speaking outside court, Det Ch Insp Kate Kieran said: "The evidence we collected against Gilead was overwhelming and showed him to have played a key part in the deliberate, planned and cold-blooded murder of Ramane."

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