Hackney man jailed for 11 years for supplying gun to Mark Duggan

Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, 30, of Nevill Road, Stoke Newington was found guilty on 31 January 2013 of supplying Mark Duggan, 29, with a fire arm 15 minutes before the black cab he was traveling in was intercepted by police on 4 August 2011.

The 29-year-old’s death on Ferry Lane, Tottenham, sparked riots that swept across London and other English cities.

Judge David Radford jailed him for seven years for supplying the gun, and a further four years for other offences.

Hutchinson-Foster, who is already serving a prison sentence for drug offences and was on license at the time, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of the same gun with intent to cause fear of violence and actual bodily harm when he assaulted a man at Lagoon Hair Salon on Kingsland Road.

On 29 July 2011, Hutchinson-Foster was caught on CCTV threatening barber Peter Osadebay before returning and beating him with the gun until he nearly lost consciousness.

Traces of Mr Osadebay’s blood were found on the gun in Mr Duggan’s possession when he was intercepted five days later.

Hutchinson-Foster denied selling or transferring a prohibited firearm to Mr Duggan between July 28 and August 5 2011.

A jury failed to reach a verdict but he was convicted at the Old Bailey following a retrial.

Judge Radford told Hutchinson-Foster he could not be held responsible for what happened later but he had passed a loaded illegal weapon to Mr Duggan “for what must have been for a serious criminal purpose.”

The trial was told that Mr Duggan was under police surveillance on the day he died and the day before on suspicion of planning an attack.

He went in a minicab to Leyton where he collected the BBM Bruni Model 92 handgun in a shoebox from Hutchinson-Foster, before continuing to Tottenham.

Armed police in four unmarked cars stopped the cab at about 18.15 in a “hard stop”, and shot Mr Duggan as he got out.

Known only as V53, the man who shot him said he was sure Mr Duggan was holding a handgun, while other officers also claimed he was hiding something in his hand and then raised what appeared to be a gun as he got out of the cab.

The jury was told it was not their task to decide the “rights and wrongs” of the shooting, which will be examined at the inquest into his death in September.

Detective Chief Superintendent Dean Haydon, of Metropolitan Police Service Trident Gang Crime Command, said: “I welcome the sentence today as this is the culmination of a complex and lengthy investigation and the sentence reflects the seriousness of his offending.

“There is an ongoing IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) investigation into the death of Mark Duggan and the circumstances of his death will be a matter for the Coroner at a later date.”