Adam Goldsmith
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Three men have been sentenced to at least 30 years in prison after they were found guilty of conspiring to kill one of the ringleaders behind Britain’s biggest armed robbery.

Daniel Kelly and brothers Louis and Stuart Ahearne were convicted of plotting to kill former cage fighter Paul Allen in July 2019, one month after they burgled an art museum in Geneva.

Nearly six years on, Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC told the Old Bailey Allen’s injuries had left him paralysed from the chest down and his condition remains "life threatening".

Handing out terms of 33 and 30 years to the Ahearne brothers, Whitehouse said the motive for the shooting may never be known.

The other defendant Daniel Kelly - who was absent at the hearing - received 36 years due to his “higher” position in the organisational chain, Whitehouse said. The judge referred to him as a “dangerous offender” and said she was satisfied the shots were fired by Kelly.

While Kelly begins his sentence in the UK, he remains a wanted man in Japan, where an extradition request has been lodged for his alleged role in a violent robbery in Tokyo.

We are ending our live coverage of the sentencing but you can stay across the story on the BBC News website.

• Museum thieves jailed for cage fighter murder plot
• How an iPad dug up from the Thames solved museum thieves' murder plot

Image source, MET POLICE

In the hours after the shooting, the crime scene in Woodford was forensically examined. Five bullet casings fired from a Glock self-loading handgun were found, as were scuff marks on the property's rear garden fence from the direction the shots had been fired.

Trawling through CCTV footage, police were then able to identify the number plate of a silver-grey Renault Captur owned by hire company Avis.

Records showed it had been rented by Stewart Ahearne from a Dartford branch two days before the shooting, and returned the day after the shooting.

On 10 July - the day before the shooting - Stewart was said to have used the Renault to drive around parts of east London including Bethnal Green, Snaresbrook - and Woodford.

A closer look at traffic cameras showed the Renault following a silver Mercedes that belonged to Paul Allen and his partner Jade Bovingdon.

On 11 July 2019 at least five shots were fired across the back garden of a house where Paul Allen - former cage fighter - was staying.

The property, located in an affluent area of Woodford, belongs to the comedian Russell Kane and had been rented out to Allen after he moved from Woolwich.

Video doorbell footage captured audio of the gunshots.

Image source, MET POLICE

Caked in mud and soggy, the device looked beyond repair. But, forensics were able to clean it and open the sim tray – which still contained a pink Vodafone sim card.

Call data from that sim card showed both the iPad and an iPhone 6 belonging to Daniel Kelly had contacted a select few numbers, including the Louis and Stewart Ahearne.

The sim card was also linked to GPS tracking devices which were found inside a car when Louis and Daniel were arrested in August 2019.

Email accounts were then linked to Daniel and a close associate.

From that, police were able to examine 59 Amazon and eBay purchases - some included unregistered Nokia burner phones used to communicate in the murder plot.

The sim had been in use until it vanished from the network shortly before Paul Allen was shot.

Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Apart from one man and a security guard, the public gallery was noticeably empty.

Both brothers stood in the dock flanked by security guards as Judge Whitehouse read out the sentence.

She jailed 46-year-old Daniel Kelly - who was absent - to 36 years in prison and ordered him to serve an extra five years on licence due to the danger he poses to the public.

Louis Ahearne, 36, was sentenced to 33 years and his older brother Stewart, 41, was handed a slightly lower tariff of 30 years in prison. Both sat down and were then very quickly told to go down to the cells.

They showed no emotion as they walked out, despite knowing they will be in their 50s and 60s before they can be considered for release.

Adam Goldsmith
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Louis Ahearne stands to hear his sentence. The judge tells him he will receive a determinate sentence of 33 years imprisonment.

He will serve at least two thirds of his sentence, with the remainder on license in the community. He gives no reaction as he sits back down.

Both brothers showed no emotion as they were handed their hefty sentences. They were told to go down to the cells and did so in silence

Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Stewart Ahearne is jailed for 30 years.

He is stood looking directly at the judge as she delivers her sentence.

Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Daniel Kelly, who is not present in the court, is sentenced to 36 years in prison plus an extension of five years.

Judge Whitehouse says she has concluded that a life sentence for Daniel Kelly is "not justified".

Instead Daniel Kelly will serve two thirds of his sentence - thereafter the parole board will consider if he should be released, she says.

Adam Goldsmith
Reporting from the Old Bailey

The judge then moves onto the legal elements of her sentencing, setting out the categories open to her for the offence of conspiracy to murder.

She says that she does not treat either Ahearne brothers' previous convictions as aggravating factors due to their non-violent nature. In mitigation, the judge refers back to the information we heard earlier from the defence lawyers.

She says that these reports have "limited weight" but have helped her form an understanding of their character.

Judge Whitehouse concludes that she does not believe that either of the Ahearne brothers pose a serious risk to the public.

Daniel Kelly, though "is a dangerous offender", she says. This is based on the facts of the offence as well as his criminal history.

Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from the Old Bailey

The judge says Louis Ahearne is now 36 and has six convictions for 14 offences including burglaries at homes and the museum in Geneva. He has no convictions for offences of violence, she adds.

Turning to Stewart Ahearne, Judge Whitehouse says he is Louis' older brother and is now 46.

He has 9 convictions for 26 offences - including drugs and GBH.

Adam Goldsmith
Reporting from the Old Bailey

The defendants continue to listen attentively - making little movement - as the judge makes her remarks.

Judge Whitehouse describes Kelly's previous criminal history, setting out how he began shoplifting at the age of 11 and, at the age of 15, was convicted of three robbery offences as well as carrying a firearm.

Other offences followed. He has 20 convictions for 60 offences.

The judge also notes that there are currently extradition requests against Kelly in place from Switzerland and Japan in relation to other offences.

Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Turning to role and culpability, the judge says all three denied responsibility - although it does not stop her from forming a view.

In her short conclusion, she notes: "The underlying motive for the shooting remains unknown. I have no doubt this agreement to murder Paul Allen involved other people.

"I am satisfied Daniel Kelly was higher up in the organisational chain," she adds.

The judge says she believes it was Kelly too who hired the Ahearne brothers.

She reiterates her belief Daniel Kelly pulled the trigger and Stewart Ahearne provided logistical support by hiring the car in his own name.

Adam Goldsmith
Reporting from the Old Bailey

The judge acknowledges that there are no victim impact statements being delivered today, but stresses that Paul Allen's injuries are severe.

She describes how the victim has lost movement "to the majority of the trunk of his body and all of his legs".

She says these injuries remain "life threatening" because of the continued care he requires.

Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from the Old Bailey

The judge recounts that on 9 July, Stewart Ahearne hired a car from Avis in his own name. "The Renault was to be later used in the shooting of Paul Allen," she tells the court.

"However, on that night, the three of you went, with a fourth man, to a gated community in Kent as police officers and burgled one property and attempted to burgle another."

The judge then moves onto 11 July - the day of Paul Allen's shooting.

Louis Ahearne, she says, believed that the trio were on the way to another burglary. Allen was not present when they first arrived, but when he returned to his kitchen at around 23:00 that night, he was shot through the window.

"I am satisfied that the shots were fired by Daniel Kelly," the judge says. "At least six bullets were fired and two of them struck Allen".

On their way back to Woolwich Daniel Kelly threw an iPad into the River Thames, the judge recaps, which was recovered by officers five years later.

Adam Goldsmith
Reporting from the Old Bailey

The judge moves on to address the burglary in Geneva - you can see the facts in our post below.

Then, the facts relating to the shooting of Paul Allen are set out, with various reconnaissance missions taking place around Allen's property.

Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Judge Whitehouse continues by recapping the events on the night of 11 July 2019.

"Mr Allen was hit but survived the shooting," the judge says.

"One lodged in his spinal cord leaving him paralysed for life. I am satisfied Stewart Ahearne was not present that night."

Judge Whitehouse says the jury rejected Louis Ahearne's account that he thought they were there to do a burglary.

She recaps Allen's conviction for the Securitas burglary. "Whether the motive for that shooting was connected is something we may never know," the judge adds.

Adam Goldsmith
Reporting from the Old Bailey

The defendants Louis and Stewart Ahearne are now seated in the dock, and Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC is back in the courtroom to begin her sentencing.

She once again notes that Daniel Kelly is not present - and says he will be sentenced in his absence.

Whitehouse then proceeds to set out some of the facts of the case - noting the injuries suffered by victim Paul Allen.

Adam Goldsmith
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC is beginning her sentencing remarks for Louis Ahearne, Stewart Ahearne and Daniel Kelly.

You can follow along by clicking Watch Live at the top of this page. Stick with us as we bring you the latest.

Dominic Casciani
Home and Legal Correspondent

The three men facing jail over the shooting and paralysis of Paul Allen will all be sentenced for conspiracy to murder - an offence that sits in a very special category in English criminal law.

If two or more people agree to carry out a crime, they can be charged with “conspiracy”, whether or not they actually attempt or succeed in carrying out the deed.

This is an ancient concept in our law and it means suspects can be brought to justice for what they resolved to do.

The sentence for any conspiracy can be as long as the jail term an offender would receive if they had carried out the crime.

So, the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder can be, in the most serious cases, a life sentence. In this case, it does not matter who pulled the trigger.

None of the three have been charged with attempted murder. What matters is that there was a criminal agreement between the three that Allen must die.

So the sentences given to Stewart Ahearne, Louis Ahearne and Daniel Kelly will depend on their specific roles and culpability in that agreement.

Factors are likely to include the type of weapon used, prior criminal convictions, the physical and psychological harm caused to Allen and how likely it was that their plan to kill would have successfully been carried out.

Obviously, it will be for Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC to assess the guidelines and arguments from the legal teams; but given a firearm was used and Paul Allen has been paralysed for life, the sentences facing all three look to be high.

Adam Goldsmith
Reporting from the Old Bailey

We've just heard the submissions from the defence, hoping to mitigate any sentences their clients might receive. The judge will return shortly.

While their lawyers were speaking, both Louis and Stewart Ahearne made little movement and looked directly ahead. We were told that Daniel Kelly is not present because of back trouble.

While there are eight or nine journalists in the room, there was only one spectator to proceedings in the public gallery.

As soon as the judge returns - we expect just before midday - the cameras will be switched on and we'll hear what sentence Louis Ahearne, Stewart Ahearne and Daniel Kelly will receive. You can follow along by clicking Watch Live at the top of this page.