A TAMIL gang leader who orchestrated murder, kidnapping and torture in a wave of tribal violence was jailed on Friday.

The Sri Lankan gunned down a 26-year-old married Wembley man at the end of a brutal 24 hour campaign to exact revenge for a killing in his own country.

Ragularperuma Sachcithananthan, 26, of Brentvale Avenue, Alperton, blasted Suresh Selvarajah with a shotgun when he realised his intended target, Partheepan Paramalingham, was not at home. Just hours earlier, his gang had bungled a drive-by shooting.

Sachcithananthan and accomplice Nagarasa Sivaakumar, 33, of North Church Road, Wembley, were sentenced to life for the murder and 12 years for the attempted murder of Mr Paramalingham on April 22 last year. Three other Tamils were jailed for a total of 32 years for their part in the warfare.

Judge Graham Boal told them: "You were party to a terrifying and quite disgraceful outbreak of violence. This was a cold-blooded and premeditated murder."

The sentences followed the jailing of four other Tamils for killing a student and setting his body alight in a Kingsbury park.

The Old Bailey heard how the gang, from the Arriyala region of Sri Lanka, had a deep hatred of people from Mr Paramalingham's region of Mannar.

Prosecutor John Hilton said: "In 2001, a man from Arriyala was murdered. Partheepan was arrested, but not charged, and this caused great upset among Arriyala people."

On April 21 the gang laid siege to Mr Paramalingham's house, smashing windows and firing shots and later, Sachcithananthan shot at him from his car in High Road, Wembley.

All five gang members then drove to their victim's home. His mother claimed he was not in but they pushed her to the ground and stormed inside. Mr Selvarajah was shot twice in the chest as he tried to flee. Mr Paramalingham's father-in-law had a gun pointed at his head but it jammed.

Sachcithananthan also got seven years, concurrent, for kidnapping.

Thrirojan Kanaganayanagan, 25, of Beresford Avenue, Wembley, was sentenced to eight years for attempted murder and four years, consecutive, for conspiracy to cause violent disorder; Stanislav Krushnavillai of North Circular Road, Wembley, got eight years for attempted murder four years, consecutive, for conspiracy to cause violent disorder, and Vijayatharan Kumaravelsingham, 31, of Rushgrove Avenue, Colindale, was jailed for four years for conspiracy to cause violent disorder.