Teen jailed for murder of Swiss Cottage man has sentence cut on appeal

A teenager who was jailed for life for his part in the murder of a Swiss Cottage man has had his minimum jail term slashed on appeal.

Lij McSween, 19, of Maitland Park Road, Queen’s Crescent, was one of four young men who were jailed over the killing of 22-year-old Milad Golmakani.

The victim, from Winchester Mews, Swiss Cottage, was chased and knifed as he played football on the Abbey Estate, in Kilburn, in April 2011.

No motive was ever given for the attack during the trial but it is thought to be related to a long-running feud between members of the Queen’s Crescent gang, to which the attackers belonged, and their rivals Sin City, from Swiss Cottage.

Convicted of Mr Golmakani’s murder and the attempted murder of Zain Salah Uddin, McSween was sentenced to at least 19 years behind bars at the Old Bailey in April 2012.

But his minimum term has now been cut to 17 years to reflect the fact that he was the youngest of the four who were jailed for the attacks.

Lord Justice Pitchford said: “McSween was 18 months to two years younger than his co-accused at the time of the offences.

“A difference of this magnitude in the case of teenagers is, in our view, significant.”

His accomplices, Sean Ferdinand, 21, of Gilbeys Yard, Camden Town, Mohammed Hashi, 21, of Enfield, and Sean Hutton, 22, of Malden Road, Queen’s Crescent, had each received minimum terms of 22 years for the same offences.

All four also challenged their convictions, but had their cases thrown out by the judge, who heard the appeals with Mrs Justice Nicola Davies and Judge Eleri Rees.

Lord Justice Pitchford said: “The verdicts of the jury were safe and the appeals against conviction are dismissed.”