A MAN from Redbridge was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey with a minimum of 15 years on Friday (25).
Camisan Judes Emanuvel, 36, was found guilty of murder on the same day at the same court.
The victim in the case, Gopinath Kasivisuwanathan, 27, was injured after being struck by Emanuvel’s car on April 16.
The injured youth died in the hospital on the same day.
A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as a hypoxic ischaemic brain injury and cardiac arrest due to complications to an injured leg.
The officers launched an investigation, and it was soon established that Emanuvel had driven his Audi A3 towards a group of people in Ealing Road, all of whom managed to get out of the way except Kasivisuwanathan.
A forensic collision investigation showed that Emanuvel had increased his speed to between 26 and 28 miles per hour while on the wrong side of the road immediately before the collision.
Gopinath Kasivisuwanathan
Detective Inspector Mark Richards from Specialist Crime North said: “No conviction or sentence can ever make up for the loss of a loved one, but we are pleased that justice has been served today.
“That fatal night in April, Camisan Emanuvel chose to use his vehicle as a weapon. To deliberately accelerate a vehicle towards a defenceless human being is deplorable. Emanuvel used his car to directly strike his victim at speed to inflict the most amount of injury he could, resulting in the pointless and tragic loss of a life.
“The reasons behind the events leading up to the death of Gopinath Kasivisuwanathan were clearly needless male posturing and pack mentality bravado.
“Emanuvel has taken Gopi away from his family and has not shown any remorse other than for himself. He has lied repeatedly throughout this investigation trying to detract from his own choice of actions that night and has shown himself for the coward he is.”
CCTV enquiries also established that just minutes before, Emanuvel’s silver Audi had been parked with two other vehicles in a layby close by.
All three vehicles then set off travelling in the same direction towards Alperton Underground station.
Recovery of one of these two other vehicles located weapons and face masks inside.
Emanuvel was arrested near the Target Roundabout on the A40 shortly after the incident.
He was remanded in custody and was charged with murder on April 19.
